ondas

etan & me by viviane sassenAre we ever able to truly know someone, to truly know ourselves?If I look at the Other, do I see my own shadow? If I am able to capture the face of a man, will I be able to hold onto him forever? Like the young girl who traced the outline of her lover's face on the wall, his shadow cast by a candle, in the myth of the Origin of Painting by Pliny the Elder.And if I look at myself, can I ever get a clear view of who I am? Or will my reflection always be blurry, like Narcissus who stretched his arms into the water to embrace himself, only to find a scattered Self?When I look at my shadow, I see you. When I look at your reflection, I see me'.

familiar strange by luigi ghirri From the beginning of his career, Ghirri used his camera to render the familiar strange. A 1973–75 photograph from Modena, for example, shows a building facade illuminated by warm sunshine. Only on close inspection does it reveal itself to be a reflection in a puddle. The rich color of this image was unusual for early-1970s art photography, which was still almost exclusively black and white. Ghirri’s pioneering use of color was just one way he grounded his imagery in the visual language of everyday reality.Early in his career Ghirri worked as a land surveyor, and later he would use topographic metaphors, like “imprecise cartography” and “sentimental geography,” to describe his art. Much of his work examines this disjunction between the world and its depictions. But his photography is also rooted in a deep fondness for his homeland. Of the Paessagio Italiano (Italian Landscape) photographs, several of which are included in the exhibition, Ghirri wrote, “I have viewed these places with a gaze full of affection and love, in an attempt to perceive a simple and astonished feeling of belonging.”

who cares by distaff studioCare is the invisible fabric holding our lives together. It happens in dialogue—between those who give and those who receive. Even self-care requires reflection: attention to needs, capacities, and limits. Yet in a society that celebrates independence and self-optimization, care is often overlooked, undervalued, and taken for granted.We all need care—at times of illness, in childhood, in old age or simply in everyday life. Still, it’s those who provide care who remain largely unseen. Who takes care of you? Who have you cared for? Who steps in for you so you can focus on other things? These quiet acts of support are the foundation of the functioning of our society.Mother’s Day is meant to celebrate care—but often feels bittersweet, as it reinforces the notion that caregiving is inherently maternal and feminine, framing it as a natural obligation (for some of society) rather than a shared responsibility (for all of us).