Photographic Abstraction Arrives at the Benedetto Robazza Museum
Inaugurated online on Saturday, November 21, 2020, the photographic exhibition Earthen Landscape – Landscapes of Earth challenges the forced closure of cultural venues by aiming to virtually guide the community of the Castelli Romani in discovering the rich panorama of contemporary photography.
The exhibition, curated by the Benedetto Robazza Museum, presents in two distinct yet well-integrated sections the imaginative photographic landscapes of architect Elena De Santis alongside some of her “earths”.
The Visual Suggestions of the ma.terra studio Project
The photographs arise from the architectural project ma.terra studio, within which the artist has created a collection of images developed during the transformation process of the earth material: the sensory aspects and the tactile, olfactory, and perceptual experience related to this seemingly humble material are explored and investigated. Her works stimulate the observer to imagine natural landscapes, ephemeral architectures: they are “visual suggestions” that invite one to project into concrete and intangible realities, distant worlds, and places of the unconscious. The earth material is perfect for being shaped, and these works intend to leave the observer free to perceive the “landscape,” the form, the space that feels closest. The landscapes of earth narrate the beauty of nature in its essence and its intimate connection to humanity. Photography, craftsmanship, and architecture merge together in this exhibition to tell the beauty of the earth material in its constructive and artistic forms.
Elena De Santis, Sentieri, clay with sgraffito technique, 2020 
Elena De Santis, Trame, clay with sgraffito technique, 2020
Ma.terra is a studio that emerged after several years of artistic experimentation with natural materials, particularly earth, and aims to narrate its beauty and expressive potential. The name reflects on the dual meaning of the word ‘Ma,’ which in Hindi means Mother, Mother Earth, a creature to be loved and respected, and the word ‘material,’ ‘matter.’
“We humans come from the earth, we nourish ourselves thanks to it, and we will return to the earth one day. The earth speaks of man, of his origins, and it is incredible to discover its profound meaning. The earth is us”, the artist tells us, thus issuing a warning that is both environmental and spiritual.
