DIEGO PORTUONDO: SUPERIMPOSED

About

The Richard Young Gallery is proud to introduce the work of Spanish photographer, Diego Portuondo in his first solo exhibition in the UK. Superimposed will feature two new bodies of work heavily influenced by architecture: Modern Masters and Oh Paris. Both series showcase his unique approach to photography by highlighting the spectacular effect of superimposition. Diego Portuondo pays homage to the preeminent artists of the 20th century by superimposing their iconic imagery onto Ibizan churches in Modern Masters. Portuondo's use of appropriation is an imaginary study commenting on the centuries old practice of religious institutions commissioning artists. He places masterpieces made for interiors on the outside of buildings therefore converting each painting into ‘master graffiti'. This reverenced salute showcases the artist's mastery of photographic manipulation in this current digital age. By contrast, Oh Paris is a brooding, atemporal series of photographs capturing Paris at the ‘end of days'. Monochromatic skies are superimposed onto Parisian landmarks, and presented without a sense of time and devoid of life. The intensity of the recurring sky implies the aftermath of a cataclysmic event. Inspired by the artist's life in the city over a span of six years, these highly charged, inimitable photographs present Paris in an unseen light.