BACK TO DANCE
From May 26th to July 25th 2020, 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery in Milan (Via San Vittore 13) presented the exhibition Back To Dance, curated by Giovanni Pelloso and dedicated to the theme of movement and dance through a refined selection of vintage and contemporary works by Gian Paolo Barbieri, Greg Gorman, Silvia Lelli and Roberto Masotti.
Although united by a shared subject, each artist interprets movement through a deeply personal visual language, achieving distinct results while maintaining the highest standards of photographic excellence. Within this dialogue, Gian Paolo Barbieri’s contribution stands out for its lyrical intensity and timeless elegance.
A key highlight of the exhibition is Barbieri’s extraordinary vintage work from his 1969 series dedicated to Rudolf Nureyev, alongside a second body of work paying tribute to Nijinsky, interpreted by dancer Maximiliano Guerra. In these images, movement becomes more than physical action: it is conceived as a vital rhythm, an inner pulse that transforms the body into pure expressive energy.
Barbieri’s photography reveals movement as a fleeting moment of inspiration, where composition, balance, and form coexist in a delicate yet powerful harmony. His gaze captures the emotional architecture of dance, emphasizing its humanity and its ephemeral beauty.
The magic of his work lies in the ability to suspend life in motion—revealing grace in transition, tension in stillness, and poetry in the instant before disappearance. Through this vision, dance becomes not only performance, but also a universal language of vitality, elegance, and emotional truth.
Within the broader exhibition, Barbieri’s works engage in a silent yet profound dialogue with the other artists, offering a perspective in which movement is distilled into light, memory, and visual rhythm—affirming his enduring role in shaping the aesthetics of contemporary photographic culture.
INFORMATION
May 26th – July 25th, 2020
Tuesday – Saturday, 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery, Via San Vittore 13, Milan, Italy