Art of Her

Italian experimental artist Alessandro Sharaffa reveals hidden phenomena in his personal exhibition "Symphony" at the A. Kasteev Museum of Art, the correspondent of Art of Her reports.

The artist explores life through intangible phenomena combining art and modern science. Sharaff's works are always new experimental technologies with which he tries to capture invisible natural and physical phenomena. The Symphony exhibition is an immersive and participatory installation consisting of a gong, a sound system and a video projection on a reflective screen.

"A symphony is a metaphor for life. If we look at ourselves, we are made up of notes, and each note means something. In other words, we are musical notes inside a melody," said Alessandro Sharaffa.

Interestingly, the installation itself is launched from the interactions of visitors and opens for a person the ability to feel, hear and see the intangible that surrounds us everywhere. In the absence of spectators, these phenomena take their usual invisible form.

"I took the northern lights and transported its light into sound (melody). In order to transport it to the light again later. These are small frequencies at the level of 3-7 Hz. With this I want to show new views and feelings, using modern tools that science offers us," Alessandro Sharaffa shared.

Note that the sound of the northern lights is indistinguishable to human hearing. To record it, the artist used a special radio receiver. In his work "Symphony" Alessandro Sharaffa translates the importance of the ability to listen and feel.

"My feelings led me to this work. I wanted to hear myself. Now we live in a world where it's hard to listen to ourselves, the world and the universe. We ourselves are completely made of these vibrations and absorb them from others. Man felt and knew the existence of these vibrations long before modern science appeared. It is important to learn to listen and feel it," the artist says.

For the first time, the installation "Symphony" was presented in the winter of 2021 at the Museum of Modernism and Contemporary Art in Turin (Italy). Sharaffa's project won the competition of the Italian Council for participation in the international program of the General Directorate of Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture for the promotion of Italian contemporary art. The artist chose Kazakhstan, and as it turned out, it was not a random choice.

"I am sure that it was in Kazakhstan that the audience felt this symphony much better than in other places. I feel an energetic family similarity between the cultures of Kazakhstan and Italy. I believe that Kazakhs have in their DNA the ability to see not only here and now, but to see beyond the horizon. I am sure that it is possible to create a new open society here that will live in harmony. I came here to create here," Alessandro Sharaffa shared.

Alessandro Sharaffa – итальянский художник. Родился в 1976 году в г. Турин (Италия). Карьера Шараффы как художника сосредоточена на невидимых явлениях природы, которые он анализирует и исследует с помощью экспериментальных технологий, которые часто предполагают непосредственное участие со стороны зрителей. Результат его практики характеризуется симбиотическим присутствием звука, технологий и природы. Среди его персональных выставок: Аврора, Земля Москва, Москва (2019); Зимняя симфония, Эрмитаж, Санкт-Петербург (2019); De Umbris Idearum, Complesso Monumentale di San Severo al Pendino, Неаполь (2019); Космонавтика, Кастелло ди Костильоле д’Асти (2019); Между закатом и рассветом затмение, Галерея Маццоли, Берлин (2017); Fontanella, Galerie Italienne, Париж (2016); I Lunatici parlano alla luna, Galleria Giorgio Persano, Турин (2014); Большой Турин, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Турин (2013 г.); VITRINE, GAM — Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Турин (2012); Ti porto il mare, Fondazione Merz, Турин (2011).

Curator: Sara d'Alessandro Manozzo.

The exhibition is held at the Kasteev Museum of Art until July 22, 2022.

Entrance fee: from 200 to 500 tenge.