TURIN.- Gallerie d'Italia - Torino is presenting American Nature, a solo exhibition of photography by Mitch Epstein. Curated by Brian Wallis (Director of the Woodstock Center for Photography, New York), this monumental exhibition brings together several of Epstein’s seminal photographic series from the past two decades: American Power, Property Rights, and Old Growth.
American Nature presents a selection from Epstein's current series, Old Growth—partly commissioned by Intesa Sanpaolo—where the magnificence and complexity of an untouched forest provoke a reflection on time: these forests take numerous eras to grow, yet much of what once existed in the United States has been cleared only within the last century. Through these photographs, one can catch a glimpse of the precious remnants of a precolonial America, rich in resources and diversity, which long remained untouched by human industry.
The exhibition continues with the American Power series, a critical observation of industry and its impact on surrounding populations. Created over five years in various production sites and adjacent areas, these images challenge the forces of nature, government, corporations, and mass consumption in the United States, as well as the power that a gaze can hold.
The third section, Property Rights, investigates the complex reality of land ownership in the United States. This series emerged in 2017 when Epstein traveled to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, where numerous protests erupted against the construction of a pipeline; thousands of activists from various Indigenous communities across the United States gathered and peacefully protested, facing police, military, and paramilitary organizations. These photographs showcase the foundations of resistance from ordinary people who took extraordinary actions, using their bodies to defend their lands, waters, and future generations.
In addition to his photographic work, the exhibition will also premier two multimedia pieces by Epstein. Darius Kinsey: Clearcut is a projection of photographs by Darius Kinsey made in the early twentieth-century of logging in the Pacific Northwest forests of the United States, featuring music by David Lang and Maya Beiser. Forest Waves is an immersive, multi-channel video and sound installation made in the Old Growth forests of Massachusetts, featuring tonal music performed there by Mike Tamburo and Samer Ghadry. Together, these works tell the story of the resilience and fragility of the natural world, the rapacious devouring of resources by American industry, and the bold risks that individuals undertake to preserve what is left of the land for future generations.
A conversation between Mitch Epstein and Brian Wallis, moderated by Giulia Zorzi, will be held at Gallerie d'Italia on Thursday, October 17 at 6pm. The discussion will be followed by a book signing of the exhibition catalogue.
