Matthias Ritter

PACE! FRIEDEN!

Opus in Artem is pleased to collaborate with the Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg from Bedonia (PR), Italy in occasion of the exhibition PACE! FRIEDEN!

Exhibition extended until 2026
Opening Hours by appointment.
+39 366 18 300 31 // +39 366 4695 525
info@opusinartem.com

The exhibition aims to present a documentation of the situation in Palestine, both historically and after October 7, 2023.

Curators Matthias Ritter and Bianca Maria Rizzi intend to offer an alternative and additional perspective on the conditions in the Gaza Strip, complementing the mainstream media narrative, which they believe is often incomplete and may create a distorted public opinion.

The exhibition will feature testimonies from the conflict, including voices from Israelis and Jews worldwide. It also aims to explore the distinction between Judaism and Zionism, without criticizing Israelis or Jews in general.

The curators feel a personal urgency to take a stance on the Palestinian issue and break the public silence surrounding it. This is not a political or religious exhibition but a purely humanitarian and informative initiative.

No one who is properly informed in a balanced and differentiated way about the entire history of the conflict can remain indifferent to the human tragedy and suffering that has long affected Palestine.

The exhibition is divided into three sections:

1. Women of Palestine: This section highlights stories of resistance through photographs depicting the daily lives of those living amidst rights violations, conflict, and unimaginable difficulties.
2. KUFIA: Italian Pencils for Palestine 1988: This part showcases works by leading Italian comic artists, graphic designers, and cartoonists like Magnus, Guido Crepax, Josè Munoz, Lorenzo Mattotti, Filippo Scozzari, Milo Manara, and Andrea Pazienza. These original drawings were exhibited in 70 Italian cities in 1988, as well as in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and several Israeli and Palestinian villages. However, the van carrying the original works was stopped and robbed a year later.
3. Discernment: This section features works by contemporary artists questioning the current situation in Palestine. The artists, from Italy, Russia, Serbia, and Germany, will exhibit photographs, paintings, sculptures, and installations. A notable piece is “bei me ossi” (poor little ones) by German artist Stefanie Oberneder, which consists of a marble egg with an engraved belly button placed on a metal base. Around it, 18,000 numbered paper tickets are laid out, each representing a Palestinian child killed since October 7, 2023. The installation is a powerful and meditative representation of the scale of loss, with each ticket symbolizing a child's death.

The installation aims to serve as a "bridge" to understand the tragedy caused by wars, genocide, violence, abuse, and exploitation, particularly towards children, who are the world's most precious resource. Its message is a call to remain human.

The exhibition hopes humanity can unite to stop this injustice, as public pressure once helped release Julian Assange.
Until freedom is achieved.

Palazzina dell`Arte
Piazza 4 Novembre, 1
43041 Bedonia (PR)
Italy

Opening Event
May 10 at 5:00 PM

• Speech on the situation of Palestinian women by
• Reading of poems by poet Emanuele Ghelfi.
• Refreshments with falafel and mint tea.

Participating Artists:
Carola Allemandi, Angelo Barile, Dea Belusco, Fausto Beretti, Stefano Ceretti, Aurora Cubicciotti, Andrea Gallo, Fabio Giampietro, Gianluca Foglia, Il Fogliazza, Alessandro Giordani, Mihailo Beli Karanovic (Serbia), Ludmila Kazinkina (Russia), Matthias Langer (Germany), Monica Macchiarini, Mikos Meininger (Germany), Claudio Monaci, Stefanie Oberneder (Germany), Giuliano Orlandi, Deborah Pellegrino, Vito Pietroburgo, Davide Ragazzi, Beatrice Roncallo.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

by Matthias Ritter

Benjamin Eck Projects - ARTLAB MUNICH 2025

Opus in Artem is delighted to be part of the upcoming
ARTLAB MUNICH art competition.

As Jury-Member of the May edition 2025 of the ARTLAB MUNICH which will take place from
May 2^nd – 4^th at the Munich-based Galerie Benjamin Eck we will choose our three favourites from 25 pre-selected final participating artists.

ARTLAB MUNICH is a group show to bring together promising and talented artists and art enthusiasts.
Two winners will be nominated at each ARTLAB MUNICH.

The "GALLERY WINNER" is nominated by an international jury and wins an exhibition in the following year.

The "PUBLIC WINNER" is coordinated by the visitors of the event and receives an audience award from the GALLERY BENJAMIN ECK.

Don´t miss the date!

Galerie Benjamin Eck
Müllerstrasse 46a
80469 München
https://www.benjamin-eck.com/

by Matthias Ritter

WORLDRECORDS by Kai Schäfer for the first time in Milan, Italy!

OPUS IN ARTEM

presents for the first time in Milan and

in occasion of the

Fuori Salone 2025 the photo series

WORLDRECORDS by Kai Schäfer

Spazio A15
Via Piranesi 29
www.a15.it

Opening:
Monday, April 7, from 10 AM to 9 PM
The exhibition runs until Aprile, 30

by Matthias Ritter

Carlo Caldara at Benjamin Eck Projects, Munich, GER

Opus in Artem presents

Carlo Caldara

in a show with Peter Demetz
at the Benjamin Eck Gallery in Munich, Germany

Opening 08.11. / 18.00-21.00
The exhibition runs until 11.01. 2025

Benjamin Eck Projects
Müllerstraße 46a / München

“Light and Transience”
Text by Domenico de Chirico

His weighty existential approach, corroborated by a composite style—dense with archetypal forms, autobiographical nods, symbolic mathematical and geological references, objets trouvés cleverly decontextualized and reassembled—leads him through the most impervious paths of an analytical investigation of man’s place in the world, in an attempt to trace the multiple meanings and varied possibilities of interpreting human existence.

Promulgator of a very personal Weltanshauung, strongly characterized by his own poetic figure, Carlo Caldara intends to contribute to rewriting human history through a skillful use of matter. In fact, his vast repertoire of works—which often favours large-scale—ranges from painting to sculpture and from installation to photography, and incorporates various materials, including charcoal, cement, gauze, stones, LED lights, and mirrors.

The latter, in particular, designate an intimate visual reflection on a polysemous reality and constitute, allegorically speaking, a passage to a further dimension, an alternative pathway combining reflection and mirror reflection as well as an incontrovertible emblem of exploration of an implacable reality here rendered as a sculptural ritual, between reflection and dislocation, illusion and deception.

Here, corpulent lines, low temperatures, cold lights, and diaphanous organic materials trace something that is now accomplished, speak to us reasonably about human nature, the surrounding reality, and the question of identity, and, through metaphorical images, shape art into a solemn creative act.

Taking inspiration from modernism or more recent currents such as postmodernism and conceptualism, Caldara pushes beyond abstraction. The porous intermingling of forms, colours, and lines is intended to create an elevated dialogue with the viewer. Considering that his works manifest themselves through the onset of dark, dramatic yet vibrant tones, depending on the emotions he wants to evoke, we arrive at the theme of the connivance between light and transience.

These are powerful symbols that, in turn, represent complex concepts such as knowledge, being, time and, indeed, the human condition. Thus, on the one hand, making use of the symbolism pertaining to darkness, composed of errors and illusions that define the chimerical knowledge of the sensible world, he emphasizes that of light, which is often associated with knowledge, truth, and revelation and which represents the potential for understanding higher ideas; on the other hand, there is transience, a concept that concerns time, change, and the fleetingness of the human condition and the world, often connected to the ephemeral nature of life, mortality, and the transience of things.

Indeed, in Martin Heidegger’s words, this transience is linked to the idea of being-for-death (Sein-zum-Tode), where awareness of one’s finitude and the transience of existence is essential to living fully and authentically. Therefore, human beings are constantly projected toward their own death, and this constitutive transience of being makes existence fragile and meaningful at the same time.

It is on the basis of such precepts that this new exhibition chapter Licht und Vergänglichkeit takes shape, in which these two constituent elements are interwoven to best describe the human condition, without ever evading the atavistic question of the connivance between the eternal and earthly life, whose efforts entwine to sketch, wherever possible, the fluidity of nature and the rush of fleeting moments as luminous experiences that escape eternity, beyond that cycle of tangible time that grips the indolent flow of time.

While light illuminates knowledge and revelation, transience reminds us of the fragility and caducity of existence; albeit both routes lead us to explore the nature of the world, being, and experience. Furthermore, in Heidegger’s thought, as well as in Caldara’s artistic research, light takes on ontological significance. Both maneuver, metaphorically speaking, the concept of Lichtung, whose equivalent in Italian is “radura” (clearing) or “apertura” (opening), that is, that place where being manifests itself. Light, in this sense, between scarcity and participation, is no longer only physical but represents the openness of being to human understanding.

Hence it is to the sound of traces and memories, and through the symbolic analysis of light—understood as a concrete tool to be deployed in the exploration of visible reality—that Carlo Caldara makes perceptible even the concept of transience, creating comprehensive sensory experiences that intentionally challenge the perception and meaning of space in constant flux. Thus, amidst raw materials and iron tones, an unprecedented conception of that time arises that, while reflecting the essence of becoming and finitude, eternally continues to determine change and impermanence, generating works characterized by a strong sense of monumentality and a profound reflection on humanity’s past and present.

by Matthias Ritter

Matthias Langer. Out of Time - AKVT Plus 2024 Festival, Bedonia (PR), Italy

Opus in Artem è uno dei partner principali del FESTIVAL ARTE KUNST VAL TARO PLUS 2024 a Bedonia, in provincia di Parma organizzata dell`Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg.

Per il festival, è stata ideata e realizzata la cosiddetta Palazzina dell’Arte nel centro del paese (Piazza 4 Novembre): un palazzo storico, chiuso per oltre quarant’anni e portato a nuova vita attraverso l’arte e la cultura.

Al primo piano della Palazzina dell’Arte sarà allestita, sempre in collaborazione con Opus in Artem, la mostra personale Out of Time del fotografo tedesco Matthias Langer (Varel, 1970), curata da Matthias Ritter. Noto per le fotografie scattate con una lunga esposizione, Langer viene definito “il fotografo del tempo” perché è il tempo come continuum eterno il tema centrale del suo lavoro. Le sue fotografie non mirano alla semplice riproduzione degli oggetti, ma al loro passaggio nel tempo. L'architettura e il paesaggio, gli oggetti quotidiani e le persone fungono da motivi esemplari per la rivelazione del passare del tempo. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo, l’artista lavora con esposizioni estremamente lunghe, utilizzando sempre macchine fotografiche analogiche di grande formato. Nel momento in cui inizia un evento, Langer apre il diaframma del suo obiettivo. Una volta terminato l’evento, lo richiude. Uno scatto può durare secondi, minuti, ore, a volte giorni o notti intere. “Il tempo si inscrive letteralmente nello strato sensibile alla luce del materiale fotografico”, ha detto lo storico dell'arte Klaus Honnef. Alla fine, una singola immagine contiene una cronologia di momenti che potrebbero essere catturati uno dopo l’altro solo con la semplice osservazione. Esteticamente condensato, Langer rende visibile ciò che accade nella realtà nel corso del tempo.

Saranno presenti in mostra opere delle serie Fragmente (Frammenti), Schlafende (Dormienti), Ikonen, Sternenhimmel (Cieli stellati), Entschleierte (Svelato) e Schwarze Sonne (Il Sole nero).
L’esposizione è visitabile fino al 15 settembre 2024. L’artista sarà presente a Bedonia fino all’8 agosto 2024.

Matthias Langer. Out of Time
A cura di Matthias Ritter
Palazzina dell’Arte, piano I
4 agosto – 15 settembre 2024
Orari: da martedì a domenica, 10.00.12.30 e 17.00-19.00, chiuso il lunedì
Ingresso libero

ENGLISH VERSION

Opus in Artem is one of the main partners of the FESTIVAL ARTE KUNST VAL TARO PLUS 2024 in Bedonia, in the province of Parma, Italy and organized by the Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg.

For the festival, the so-called Palazzina of Art in the town centre (Piazza 4 Novembre): a historical building closed for over forty years and brought back to life through art and culture.

The first floor of the Palazzina dell'Arte will host, in cooperation with Opus in Artem, the solo exhibition Out of Time by German photographer Matthias Langer (Varel, 1970), curated by Matthias Ritter. Known for his photographs taken with a long exposure, Langer is called ‘the photographer of time’ because it is time as an eternal continuum that is the central theme of his work. His photographs do not aim at the simple reproduction of objects, but at their passage through time. Architecture and landscape, everyday objects and people serve as exemplary motifs for the revelation of the passage of time. To achieve this, the artist works with extremely long exposures, always using large-format analogue cameras. The moment an event starts, Langer opens the diaphragm of his lens. Once the event is over, he closes it again. A shot can last seconds, minutes, hours, sometimes days or whole nights. ‘Time is literally inscribed in the light-sensitive layer of the photographic material,’ said art historian Klaus Honnef. In the end, a single image contains a chronology of moments that could be captured one after the other by mere observation. Aesthetically condensed, Langer makes visible what happens in reality in the course of time.

Works from the Fragmente (Fragments), Schlafende (Sleeping), Ikonen, Sternenhimmel (Starry Skies), Entschleierte (Unveiled) and Schwarze Sonne (Black Sun) series will be on display.

The exhibition can be visited until 15 September 2024. The artist will be present in Bedonia until 8 August 2024.

Matthias Langer. Out of Time
Curated by Matthias Ritter
Palazzina dell’Arte, floor I
4 August – 15 September 2024
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m., closed on Mondays
Free entrance

by Matthias Ritter

Shock, Pop & History - AKVT Plus Festival 2024, Bedonia (PR), Italy

Opus in Artem è uno dei partner principali del FESTIVAL ARTE KUNST VAL TARO PLUS 2024 a Bedonia, in provincia di Parma organizzata dell`Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg.

Per il festival, è stata ideata e realizzata la cosiddetta Palazzina dell’Arte nel centro del paese (Piazza 4 Novembre): un palazzo storico, chiuso per oltre quarant’anni e portato a nuova vita attraverso l’arte e la cultura.

Al secondo piano della Palazzina dell’Arte sarà allestita la mostra Shock, Pop & History, a cura di Bianca Maria Rizzi e Claudia Venturelli, con opere di artisti internazionali, quali Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Shephard Fairey, Annie Leibovitz, Roberto Sebastian Matta e Andy Warhol, in gran parte provenienti da una collezione privata. In collaborazione con Opus in Artem, il percorso espositivo si completerà con opere selezionate di affermati artisti contemporanei come Angelo Barile e i tedeschi Kinki Texas, Patricia Lambertus e Jens Lorenzen, i cui lavori provengono da collezioni private di Milano e di Brema, e con l’opera dell’artista inglese Tristan Reid, vincitrice del premio Art Lab 2024, promosso dalla Galerie Benjamin Eck di Monaco di Baviera. Il tema della mostra è un viaggio tra l’America e l’Europa, tra artisti di fama internazionale ed altri affermati contemporanei, che mettono in evidenza le mille sfaccettature della cultura e la storia del continente americano. L’esposizione è visitabile fino al 15 settembre 2024.

In occasione della mostra Shock, Pop & History, l’Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg collabora per la prima volta con il progetto Punti di Fuga: un gruppo di progettazione cooperativa fondato da Anna Pesetti, Jacopo Gerevini e Andrea Caldarini con l’obiettivo di valorizzare risorse artistiche e culturali del territorio, grazie all’impiego di linguaggi multimediali. Il team di Punti di Fuga è composto da operatori d’eccellenza nel campo del teatro, della video-arte e della tutela dei beni culturali. I progetti a cui lavorano nascono dall’esigenza di costruire spazi di comunicazione, capaci di intrattenere e coinvolgere il pubblico in modo creativo, tramite l’uso delle nuove tecnologie. Per la mostra realizzeranno una lettura “sartoriale” dell’opera Moonwalk di Andy Warhol del 1987.

Shock, Pop & History
A cura di Bianca Maria Rizzi e Claudia Venturelli
Palazzina dell’Arte, piano II
4 agosto – 15 settembre 2024
Orari: da martedì a domenica, 10.00.12.30 e 17.00-19.00, chiuso il lunedì
Ingresso libero

ENGLISH VERSION

Opus in Artem is one of the main partners of the FESTIVAL ARTE KUNST VAL TARO PLUS 2024 in Bedonia, in the province of Parma, Italy and organized by the Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg.

For the festival, the so-called Palazzina of Art in the town centre (Piazza 4 Novembre): a historical building closed for over forty years and brought back to life through art and culture.

On the second floor of the Palazzina dell'Arte will be the exhibition Shock, Pop & History, curated by Bianca Maria Rizzi and Claudia Venturelli, with works by international artists such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst, Shephard Fairey, Annie Leibovitz, Roberto Sebastian Matta and Andy Warhol, mostly in loan from a private collection. In collaboration with Opus in Artem, the exhibition will be completed with selected works by established contemporary artists such as Angelo Barile and the German artists Kinki Texas, Patricia Lambertus and Jens Lorenzen, whose works come from private collections in Milan and Bremen (GER), and with the work of English artist Tristan Reid, winner of the Art Lab 2024 prize, sponsored by Galerie Benjamin Eck of Munich.
The theme of the exhibition is a journey between America and Europe, between internationally renowned artists and other established contemporary artists, highlighting the many facets of the culture and history of the American continent.
The exhibition is on view until 15 September 2024.

On the occasion of the exhibition Shock, Pop & History, the Associazione Serpaglio Lichtenberg is collaborating for the first time with the Punti di Fuga project: a cooperative design group founded by Anna Pesetti, Jacopo Gerevini and Andrea Caldarini with the aim of enhancing the artistic and cultural resources of the territory through the use of multimedia languages. The Punti di Fuga team is composed of outstanding operators in the fields of theatre, video art and cultural heritage protection. The projects they work on arise from the need to build communication spaces, capable of entertaining and involving the public in a creative way, through the use of new technologies. For the exhibition they will create a ‘sartorial’ reading of Andy Warhol's 1987 work Moonwalk.

Shock, Pop & History
Curated by Bianca Maria Rizzi and Claudia Venturelli
Palazzina dell'Arte, floor II
4 August - 15 September 2024
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. - 7 p.m., closed on Mondays
Free entrance

by Matthias Ritter

Pezzi al Muro, Chiesa della Madonna del Corlo, Lonato sul Garda, Brescia

November, 2023
Opus in Artem speaks at the in-presence and online seminar  “Pezzi al muro” that aims to examine the evolution
of the relationship between artwork and public space.

Location:
Chiesa Madonna del Corlo di Lonate del Garda, Brescia

The path of two contemporary gallery owners Bianca Maria Rizzi and Matthias Ritter from Milan to the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines Opus in Artem Art Consultant platform, the Cultural Association Serpaglio Lichtenberg and the Arte Kunst Val Taro Val Ceno Summer Festival. Relationships with banking foundations, public administrations and with people from the countryside.
Speaking about Berlin situated painter Jens Lorenzen and two exceptional urban artists as Angelo Barile and Lele Gastini.

by Matthias Ritter