Narciso. La fotografia allo specchio

At the Baths of Caracalla, 78 iconic shots by 35 of the most important international photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries dialogue with the majestic Roman remains of the great imperial spa complex inaugurated in 216 A.D., a place intended for bathing, sports and body care, but also for walking and studying.

Promoted by the Special Superintendence of Rome with the organization of Electa, the exhibition is set up in two covered rooms and in the natatio of the monument and is part of the program of initiatives celebrating the return of water to the Antonine Baths with the realization in April 2024 of a water basin.

The common thread of the exhibition is the theme of the double, the mirror, mirroring and mirroring oneself, eternalized by Narcissus, whose sad story was consigned to European culture by the Latin poet Ovid and has given rise over the centuries to infinite variations and refractions, offering photographers a valuable source of inspiration as well. Images with a strong symbolic value and open to the most diverse interpretations enliven the exhibition path: portraits of celebrities, enigmatic interiors and tranches de vie captured over time at different latitudes, double illusions juxtaposed by harmony or contrast.

In an unprecedented and alienating visual short-circuit, a section of the exhibition finally tackles the topos of the Self-Portrait, allowing a close, eye-to-eye confrontation with the photographers themselves, whose likenesses have become as famous as their memorable shots.

Cover image:
Tilda Swinton, 1991 © Fabio Lovino - Photo F. Caricchia for Soprintendenza Speciale di Roma