Alexandre MorelliP R E S S K I T

At first glance, Alexandre Morelli’s photography seems to suggest that there’s a painting hidden just beneath the surface. The impressionistic feel of the "Dawning presbyopia” series and the pictorial abstraction of his "Corners" leave the viewer guessing which medium was used. However, there’s no doubt about it: Morelli’s art is pure photography.

Alexandre Morelli’s teenage years were spent in Morocco, and his time there had a lasting impact on him, imparting a strong preference for bright lights and colours. After 20 years in Paris, the artist has taken up residence in Rome.

www.alexandremorelli.com http://www.instagram.com/alexandre.morelli.photo

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-ALEXANDRE MORELLI-

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Presbyopia comes from the Greek presbys πρέσβυς, which means “old man” or “ancient”. It’s a condition associated with the ageing of the eyes that makes reading fine print and doing detailed work more difficult. This is not due to illness, but rather the natural ageing process of the eye. While the process begins at birth, its effects aren’t felt until around age 40-45.

With “Dawning presbyopia”, Alexandre Morelli illustrates the deterioration of his vision through softly blurred images. The artist, recently diagnosed with presbyopia (like many men his age), has gathered photos in this collection that are drawn from his recent travels. At first, the images give the impression that they’re the work of masterful brushstrokes, but it’s nothing but a dazzling illusion—they’re all photographs. The images are gently blurred at the moment they’re taken. The act of photography is an attempt to freeze a given moment in time, but the movement of the shutter and the length of exposure transform that instant into something else. Harsh lines fade away and details blend into an impressionistic image.

-DAWNING PRESBYOPIA-

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A corner: a field of vision that expands and retracts, disappears and reappears; a seemingly closed angle that opens up new perspectives. Alexandre Morelli’s photographs embrace this paradox. Everything in these images is real, despite their abstract feel. The viewer finds himself thrust into the corner of a living room, an office, a museum hallway… and yet rather than feeling trapped in these tight spaces, the gaze is drawn out to new horizons.

These mysterious images pull the viewer into a vast world that is much larger than the narrow space being studied. Is the space two-dimensional? three-dimensional? Is it a painting or a photograph? Sometimes clues are hiding in plain sight: the edge of a poster, chipped paint on a baseboard… These minute details drag the viewer back into reality: the wall, the room, the photograph. This back-and-forth between the abstract geometrical forms and the reality of the spaces delights and confuses the observer.

With Corners, Alexandre Morelli toys with the viewer’s perception of reality and proves that the gaze creates the object, and not the other way around.

-CORNERS-

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-THE PASSER-BY-

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For this collection, Alexandre Morelli photographed Parisian women for over a year. He captured their gait and their silhouettes, recalling the line from Truffaut’s film The Man Who Loved Women: “Women's legs are compasses that traverse the globe in all directions, giving it balance and harmony.”

Morelli was able to capture the energy of these Parisian women without a trace of voyeurism. The composition of these images is influenced by the dynamic movement within. A black dress obscures part of the frame, high-heeled shoes trace escape routes. For a fleeting instant, these “compass” legs hint at the path of these unknown women, while keeping their destination a mystery.

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Alexandre MORELLI +33 6 80 35 10 98

alexandre.jeanpierre.morelli@gmail.com