Benappi Fine Art is pleased to present their first collaborative exhibition with a contemporary artist. Gonna tell my kids this was marcus aurelius sees artist James Rogers (British, b. 1993) place his work within the context of the Old Master Gallery to explore ideas of authorship, status and narratives of transformation.
Rogers employs digital assistants to replace the traditional studio apprentice and the pairing with Benappi’s Old Master paintings explores the new role of technology as a creative partner. Rogers in engaged with his brigade of 3D scanner, Raspberry Pi and hacked printing machine that can extrude clay or wax and etch plates, in the making of sculptures and etchings that are hybrids of organic and mechanic effort to the extent that the artist is not sure where one finishes and the other starts within the work. These are set against Benappi’s vast and remarkable still life by The Master of the Wild Strawberries (Flemish, early 16th Century) that mixes Italianate and Flemish styles.
Rogers’ series of etchings: The Measurements of Men and their High Horses questions the faithfulness of monuments erected in the name of historic figures. The title of the exhibition is derived from a well-known meme and fabled story of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, that only survived from antiquity because it was presumed to depict Constantine. This historic uncertainty leaves space for Rogers to ask further questions about masculinity and how we are remembered. The starting point for these works is a 3D scan of Rogers wearing an inflatable dinosaur costume, a playful nod towards these statues. Through his own revisionist working process, the final image transforms to resemble that of Marcus Aurelius sat upon his horse. In this context we are asked to consider a beautiful portrait study by Franceso Salviati (Florence 1510 – Rome 1563); it depicts the patron of his Visitation fresco in the Oratorio di San Giovanni Decollato, Rome, whom he inserted into the final composition.
A rediscovered Flemish triptych panel by the Master of 1518 depicting The Nativity, The Adoration of the Magi and The Presentation in the Temple is an exquisite example of storytelling. The three panels frame the story of Jesus’ early life with commerce at its centre in keeping with Antwerp’s status in the 16th Century as a commercial centre. The Presentation in the Temple foretells Christ’s sacrifice and here it sits beside a new triptych of etchings made by Rogers with Art School Prints (www.artschool.co.uk) showing the transformation of another individual, dealing with the Sisyphean task of carrying too much weight.
Benappi Fine Art, 27 Dover Street, London W1S 4LZ
Friday 7th October 2022 – Saturday 22nd October 2022
Press preview: Thursday 6th October 2022, 10am – 4pm
