Exhibition: Architect Sigurd Lewerentz’ Italian journey 1922
2 – 30 NOVEMBRE
Istituto Svedese di studi Classici,
Via Omero 14, Roma
Booking is mandatory at eventi@isvroma.org
Architect Sigurd Lewerentz’ Italian journey 1922 – a study of the photographic traces of Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz’ (1885-1975) travels through Italy in 1922. An exhibition arranged and curated by architects Erik Törnkvist and Malin Belfrage.
In the spring of 1922 the Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz undertakes a journey through Italy. In addition to Rome, the architect visits places of architectural interest such as Tivoli, Florence, Naples and Pompeii.
Though widely considered formative and very influential in Sigurd Lewerentz’ later oeuvre, archival records contain few indications on specific places and buildings visited during the 1922 journey. The main lasting evidence is nearly two hundred small black-and-white photographs, which are part of the Lewerentz collection at the Swedish national centre for Architecture and Design in Stockholm. These photographs mainly depict building parts and close-up details. Until now, very little has been known about exactly where Lewerentz’ motifs were found and what they represent.
In the fall of 2021 architects Erik Törnkvist and Malin Belfrage undertake a journey through Italy. Following a thorough archival research they seek out Sigurd Lewerentz’ depicted motifs, following in the footsteps of the architect and documenting the exact locations and motifs of the photographs.
Part of the documentation is carried out with a Fujifilm Instax mini 90 instant camera and black and white film. The resulting photographs possess a similarly diffuse character as the Lewerentz prints. A photographic kinship can be discerned, bridging the nearly one hundred years that have passed between the two journeys.
This exhibition show some of these images in dialogue with Lewerentz 1922 photographs.
Erik Törnkvist is the director and founder of Etat arkitekter. Erik is specialised in the field of building restoration as project architect and researcher. He received his degrees in architecture and restoration from the Royal Institute of Technology and The Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, and holds an exam in History from Uppsala University. In 2015-2016 he held the fellowship in Architecture at Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma. www.etat.se
Malin Belfrage is a lead architect at White architects in Stockholm, where she is head of Research and Development in the fields of restoration, transformation and circularity. She received her degrees in architecture and restoration from the Royal Institute of Technology and The Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. In 2015-2016 she held the fellowship in Architecture at Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma. www.white.se
The exhibition is running until 30 November 2022.
