Massimo Piersanti, Exhibition Photography in 1970s Rome

In the postwar period, contemporary art was increasingly communicated through temporary exhibitions. Due to the transiency of these exhibitions, their photographic documentation and their staging become of crucial importance.

This video centers around the work of the photographer Massimo Piersanti (1939–2023) and his photographic documentation of various artistic and curatorial projects. It focuses particularly on his involvement in the international exhibition Contemporanea, which took place in 1973 in the underground car park of Villa Borghese in Rome. Piersanti’s impressive account of his work and experience as a contemporary witness is complemented by historical footage of the staging of Contemporanea, while the video's art-historical commentary addresses the crucial role of photographic objects and oral history as sources for the critical examination of postwar art and exhibition practice.

With contributions by: Tristan Weddigen; Maria Bremer

An extensive and unedited interview with Massimo Piersanti (1939-2023) was archived.