Curator – Darius Vaičekauskas
Opening: 30 November, 7.00–9.00 pm
Ex Niceta, Via Roma, 11
Open to the public: 9, 16 and 23 December and 13 January, 5.00–7.00 pm
As part of the project to revitalise the former Niceta shop, the Palermo-based publishing house 89books, in collaboration with the Lithuanian curator Darius Vaičekauskas, is presenting a new exhibition in the heart of the city at 11 Via Roma. The photography exhibition will be open to the public on the evening of the opening, 30 November from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm, and on Saturday afternoons throughout December and early January.
The exhibition, Photography Noir. Existence, showcases the works of three acclaimed photographers: Alexander Chekmenev (Ukraine), Rimaldas Vikšraitis (Lithuania) and Miron Zownir (Germany). The title borrows the cinematic term ‘film noir’, although there is almost nothing melodramatic or chic about what these photographers’ cameras have captured over the course of more than 30 years. What unites the geographically scattered photographs of these three artists is a marginalised figure at the centre of their investigation. Whether it is an American drug addict, a coal miner from eastern Ukraine or a villager from Lithuania, it is always an ordinary man left behind, abandoned and forced to face harsh reality alone.
Oleksandra Osadcha, the Ukrainian critic who wrote an introductory essay for the catalogue accompanying the exhibition and published by 89books, elaborates:
“The images created by Chekmenev, Vikšraitis and Zownir are undeniably unsettling. These photographers, who come from three distinct spheres – urban, industrial and rural – chip away at the comfort of our self-assurance and the illusion of security, silently inviting us to engage with their images.”
The Palermo public may already be familiar with the work of photographer and filmmaker Miron Zownir, whose first major Italian retrospective took place at the International Centre of Photography in Palermo in 2021. Meanwhile, the other two photographers, Alexander Chekmenev and Rimaldas Vikšraitis, will be exhibited in Italy for the first time.
The previous exhibition at the former Niceta shop took place in early September, when Mauro D’Agati’s photographic series *Bangkok Sketches* was on display in the shop windows. The exhibitions in this space are temporary in nature and are curated by photographer Mauro D’Agati and curator Kateryna Filyuk (89books).
For further information, visit info@89books.com
