HEAD ON Photo Festival
The Istituto Italiano di Cultura is Sydney is pleased to renew once again in 2019 its collaboration with the Head On Photo Festival by showcasing the exhibition Hands by photographer Monia Merlo. The Institute will also present the exhibition The Valley of Shadows by photographer Camillo Pasquarelli, which will be on show at Paddington Town Hall within the same Festival.
Hands: Hands always tell. Emotions that go beyond words. What fascinates Monia about hands is that through their movement they reveal, beyond the face’s expressions. For the photographer these photos are the truest form of an intimate portrait. They show fragility, elegance, beauty but especially women portrayed in their detachment from the world. They are gathered in themselves, unreachable and do not seek any dialogue with the viewer. As Milan Kundera wrote in Immortality: “Just imagine living in a world without mirrors. You’d dream about your face and imagine it as an outer reflection of what is inside you. And then, when you reached forty, someone put a mirror before you for the first time in your life. Imagine your fright! You’d see the face of a stranger. And you’d know quite clearly what you are unable to grasp: your face is not you”.
https://www.headon.com.au/exhibitions/hands 
Monia Merlo was born in 1970 in Italy, in a small town near Venice. After finishing her studies, she teamed her work as an architect with her passion about Art and Photography, making it her main expression medium. Monia currently works as a freelance photographer, her work is mainly focused on fashion, including prestigious collaborations with famous brands and magazines. Her photos find inspiration in literature, poetry, nature and her most inner feelings. They are means of creation, research and development of a work which undergoes a constant evolution, as well as being a way to represent, through fragile feminine bodies, the artist’s search of herself. She is endowed with a painting style, and has exhibited her work in some museums and several exhibitions. Her pictures have been published in various magazines, books, newspapers and other media. Some of her works are represented by Art + Commerce New York, Sakura Gallery in Paris and Trevillon, UK.
http://www.moniamerlophotographer.com
Opening of the exhibition:
Friday, 3 May 2019, at 2.00 pm
Free entry. Limited spaces.
Booking essential: www.eventbrite.com.au