“[…] For residents of Rome and foreigners alike, Piazza del Popolo unequivocally constitutes a vision. An optical effect comparable to the phenomena described by Henri Michaux under the effect of mescaline in Miserable Miracle. Perhaps it is its oval shape that induces dizziness. Or admiration that rapidly becomes a sense of unreality.
[…] The piazza does not hide its illusionistic precision in Olivo Barbieri’s photograph either. On the contrary, it flaunts it. The empty oval, the steps, the obelisk with its shadow pointing north, the dreamlike “trident”, the lazy stone lions that “instead of roaring / spray cooling / fans of water” (Valentino Zeichen): the scene is set, it must be filled quickly before it is taken down.”
— Edoardo Albinati, May 4, 2020
Photograph by Olivo Barbieri
Keep reading on: https://www.piazzeinvisibili.com/piazza-del-popolo-roma-eng
©2020 MAECI – Punctum Press