Capri Island through visions of five artists

ISTANBUL

The exhibition ‘Capri Trend’ displays 25 works that offer a contemporary response to the cultural history and longstanding beauty of Capri.

Fondazione Capri, a private Italian foundation, is organizing a photo exhibition titled “Capri Trend” at SALT Beyoğlu in an effort to promote the culture, architectural heritage and landscape of the island of Capri.

 The foundation was founded in 2009 by a group of members including local authorities and entrepreneurs and has invested heavily in photography since the beginning.

For “Capri Trend,” curator Denis Curti selected five photographs from artists Olivo Barbieri, Maurizio Galimberti, Francesco Jodice, Irene Kung and Ferdinando Scianna. They have separately interpreted Capri, the Neapolitan, multifaceted island, which is entwined with the history of the avant-garde, and acted as a refuge for modern art and thought.

The exhibition consists of 25 works that offer a contemporary response to the cultural history and longstanding beauty of Capri.

In the second half of the 18th century, travelers from Northern Europe contributed to the artistic flourishing of Capri, and it inspired the tormented landscapes of romantic artists, attracted by the harsh yet immaculate Mediterranean beauty.

In the 19th century, Capri was chosen by artists, intellectuals and writers as a cosmopolitan destination for the avant-garde. The island was an essential stopover on the Grand Tour, the journey of young aristocrats throughout Europe. It later welcomed political-literary refugees, particularly Russian exiles from the conflict between Russia and Japan in 1905. In the second half of the 20th century, Capri became the meeting place of Café Society, opening its doors to seasons of fashionable parties, dinners in evening dress and a whole range of luxurious and high-society social events.
Starting in 2010, the foundation began to organize, among other projects, an annual Festival of Photography, which hosts and commissions works by Italy’s most renowned photographers. Their photos have been shown during the last five years in Capri, at Villa Lysis, an ancient monastery of Certosa di San Giacomo and the Casa Rossa.

Fondazione Capri’s main objective is to capture the beauty of Capri and share this perspective with the world through exhibitions. Each artist with Capri Trend explores the essence of the island through his or her personal vision, revealing the heartfelt grandeur of the unique location.

Previously shown in Bermuda, Baku, Johannesburg and Mexico City, in museums, art spaces and cultural institutions, “Capri Trend” can be seen at SALT Beyoğlu through Jan. 20.