Jacopo Benci

Assistant Director (Fine Arts)

Born 1956. Lives and works in Rome. Studied art history, anthropology, and history of cinema at ‘La Sapienza' University of Rome. His work encompasses photography, installation, video, film, performance. He has published essays and texts in the magazines Artibus et Historiae (1987), Opening (1995, 1998), Avanguardia (2001, 2003), LuxFlux Proto-type Arte Contemporanea (2003), Filmwaves (2007), and the web magazines LaCritica.Net (2002), LuxFlux.Net (2003). He edited the Italian edition of Andrei Tarkovsky's diaries, Martirologio 1970-1986 (Edizioni della Meridiana, Florence, 2002).
Since January 1998 Jacopo Benci is the Assistant Director for Arts at the British School at Rome (BSR). He has curated over 40 exhibitions of British artists at the British School, and several others in public and private spaces in Rome and elsewhere in Italy. In 2006 he curated the exhibition Responding to Rome. British Artists in Rome,1995-2005 at the Estorick Collection, London.

TEACHING/LECTURING:

2007

Tutor, Photography Rome Portfolio, Summer I & II, John Cabot University, Rome.

Guest lecturer (Brave New World? British art in the 1990’s and 2000’s), Contemporary Art History Course, Faculty of Architecture ‘Valle Giulia’, ‘La Sapienza’ University, Rome.

2006

Guest critic, Fine Art (3rd Year), Cornell University, Rome.

Guest lecturer (Antonioni's Metropolitan Imagination), “Blow Up” exhibition, The Photographers’ Gallery, London.

Guest lecturer (Brave New World? British art in the 1990’s), Contemporary Art History Course, Faculty of Architecture ‘Valle Giulia’, ‘La Sapienza’ University, Rome.

Guest lecturer (Brave New World? British art in the 1990’s) and critic, Temple University, Rome.

Guest critic (3rd Year), School of Architecture, Iowa State University, Rome.

Guest lecturer (Michelangelo Antonioni's Rome), School of Architecture, University of Brighton.

Guest lecturer (Responding to Rome: an Impossible Task?), Responding to Rome exhibition, Estorick Collection, London.

2005

Keynote speaker and lecturer (Michelangelo Antonioni's Rome), Cinematic Rome international conference, NIRVC, University of Nottingham.

2004

Guest lecturer ( Michelangelo Antonioni's Rome ), MA Course, London Metropolitan University, London.

2003

Co-selector and co-curator, ArtPrimeur 2003: The Netherlands meet Italy , Energiehuis, Dordrecht (Holland).

Guest lecturer ( Michelangelo Antonioni's Rome ) and critic, Painting Department, Winchester School of Art (University of Southampton).

2002

Guest lecturer (Richard Billingham's film “Fishtank” and recent British art), Department of Contemporary Art History, ‘La Sapienza' University, Rome.

Guest lecturer ( Shadows and images: from the daughter of Boutades to contemporary art ), Department of Educational Sciences, University of Palermo.

Group co-ordinator and lecturer, workshop/conference Art and Architecture in the Historical Centre and the Landscape , Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Rome.

2001

Guest lecturer ( Recent Italian video art ), Cornell University, Rome.

Guest lecturer ( Recent Italian video art ) and critic, Temple University, Rome.

2000
Guest lecturer ( Responding to Rome: recent works of artists resident at the British School ), The British Academy, London.
1998

Invited Tutor, Intermediate Unit (Rome field trip), Architectural Association School of Architecture, London.

1996

Invited Tutor, Foundation Unit (Rome field trip), Architectural Association School of Architecture, London.

1995

Guest lecturer ( The sources of Marcel Duchamp's works ), International School of Art, Montecastello di Vibio.

SELECTED ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS [* catalogue/publication]

2007

Jacopo Benci. Itinerari senza io (video/film and photo works), TraLeVolte, Rome.

2006

'Itinerari senza io'. Recent film and video works by Jacopo Benci, Cornell University, Rome.

‘Itinerari senza io’. Recent video/film works by Jacopo Benci, UCL Film Studies Research Seminars, University College, London.

2004

La realtà e la sua ombra , Teatro Vascello, Rome.

2003

Reality and its shadow , Cover Up, London.

1998

Itinerari silenziosi , Change Gallery, Rome. *

Itinerari silenziosi – Stille Wege , Galerie Schütz, Frankfurt. *

1997

Itinerari silenziosi , Empirìa, Rome.

1995

Sguardo luminoso , Galleria Nova, Rome.

Video works

2004

Una giornata lunga senza io , Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 10'00”. Music by Andrew Poppy.

Qualcosa che passa dietro un volto , Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 11'28”.

2002

La realtà e la sua ombra [with Alessandra Cristiani], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 20'26”.
Screenings: 2002, Riccione TTV – Video library , Riccione ; 15th Instants Video , École Supérieure d'Art, Aix-en-Provence; Cinedans 2003 – Video library , Amsterdam; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London; 2004, La realtà e la sua ombra , Teatro Vascello, Rome.

Itinerari silenziosi , Betacam SP, PAL, B&W and colour, sound, 41'36”.
Cast: Alessandra Cristiani, Alessandra Lanciotti. Music: Régis Campo, Luca Spagnoletti, Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov.
Screenings: 2002 , White, the Mask and the Dawn – Accords of Light , National Gallery, Bangkok; 7th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome; 2003, Cinema e arti elettroniche , Teatro Palladium, Rome.

Immagine tempo, Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 3'24”. Music by Ilie Florica.
Screenings: 2002 , Arte e architettura contemporanee nel centro storico e nel paesaggio , Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Rome.

2001

Itinerari silenziosi [IV], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 3'15”.
Screenings: 2001 , Elettroshock. 30 anni di video in Italia 1971-2001 , Acquario Romano, Rome.

Sguardo luminoso [IV], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 7'02”.
Screenings: 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

Sguardo luminoso [V], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 2'03”.
Screenings: 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

Arcadia , Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 2'59”.
Screenings: 2001, Aree intermediali e sinestetiche , National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, Rome; Videotrip 01 , Teatro Vascello, Rome; 2002, Politika Buff , Art Workshop, Central House of Artists, Moscow, and Knoll Galéria, Budapest; 7th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

1999

Itinerari silenziosi [II], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, silent, 1'50”.
Screenings: 1999, Change – Videowork , Goethe-Institut, Rome; 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome ; 2001, Elettroshock. 30 anni di video in Italia 1971-2001 , Acquario Romano, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

Œuvre d'être , Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 10'06”.
Screenings: 1999, Home Abroad , Ausstellungsraum Konstantin Adamopoulos, Frankfurt ; 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; 2000, Camera con vista , Teatro Vascello, Rome ; Paesaggio dopo la battaglia , Ex-Church of San Michele, Tivoli ; œuvres d'être...works of being...opere d'essere , Temple Gallery, Rome; And then there was the bad weather , LWF Projects, London; 2001, Camera con vista , Centro per le Arti Visive, Pesaro; And then there was the bad weather , David Lusk Gallery, Memphis (USA); Arte contemporanea in mediateca , MACRO, Rome; 2002, Invideo il giovedì. Documenti in mostra , Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Roma; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

Sguardo luminoso [III], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 2'13”.
Screenings: 1999, Home Abroad , Galerie ak, Frankfurt ; 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; 2000, In Video Veritas – Visioni Italiane , The British School at Rome ; œuvres d'être...works of being...opere d'essere , Temple Gallery, Rome ; 5th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome; 2001, Arte contemporanea in mediateca , MACRO, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London; 2003, Cinema e arti elettroniche , Teatro Palladium, Rome.

Itinerari silenziosi [III], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 4'00”.
Screenings: 1999, 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; 2001, Elettroshock. 30 anni di video in Italia 1971-2001 , Acquario Romano, Rome; Videotrip 01 , Teatro Vascello, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

1998

Itinerari silenziosi [I], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 2'05”. Music by Luca Spagnoletti.
Screenings: 1998, 3rd Linea d'Ombra Film & Video Festival , Teatro Verdi, Salerno; Stile Libero, una videorassegna , Sala 1, Rome; 1999, 12es Instants Vidéo , MJC, Manosque; 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; 2001, Elettroshock. 30 anni di video in Italia 1971-2001 , Acquario Romano, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London; 2003, Cinema e arti elettroniche , Teatro Palladium, Rome.

Sguardo luminoso [II], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 1'55”.
Screenings: 1998, Face-off , Riparte ‘98 art fair, Sheraton Hotel, Rome; 1999, Change – Videowork , Goethe-Institut, Rome; Home Abroad , Galerie ak, Frankfurt; 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; 2000 , œuvres d'être...works of being...opere d'essere , Temple Gallery, Rome; 5th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

1996

Sguardo luminoso [I], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, sound, 2'55”.
Screenings: 1997, Sequenze labili – una video rassegna , Sala 1, Rome; 1998, Face-off , Riparte ‘98 art fair, Sheraton Hotel, Rome; 1999, Home Abroad , Galerie ak, Frankfurt; 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; 2000, 5th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome; 2003, Reality and its Shadow , Cover Up, London.

Video installations

2002

Œuvre d'être [version II], Betacam SP, PAL, colour, silent, 3'00”.

Tower of peace – 2nd International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, EUR, Rome (video projection on the façade); Piazza Navona, Rome (video wall); Stazione Termini, Rome (LCD screen loop); Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (plasma screen loop).

2003, Tower of peace – The strategies of art against the strategies of violence , Ex-Carcere Minorile, Biblioteca Centrale San Giovanni, Galleria Ipercoop, Pesaro; Piazza della Repubblica, Urbino.

2001

Sguardo luminoso , VHS PAL, loop, silent, on monitor. Female portrait sculpture, Palmyra, 3 rd century AD (collection of the National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome). Accordi di luce – Oriente d'Occidente , National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome.

Audio - visual installations

2002

Itinerari silenziosi . Slide projection with audio loop [Olivier Messiaen, Le jardin du sommeil d'amour ].

Itinerari silenziosi – Stille Wege , Galerie Schütz, Frankfurt.

Theatrical performances

1997

Verso la stanza [based on the works of Andrei Tarkovsky]. Cast: Alessandra Cristiani.

Diagonal, Forlì; Artisti per Opening , Temple Gallery, Rome.

1996

La stanza di Andrei [based on the works of Andrei Tarkovsky]. Cast: Alessandra Cristiani, Flavia Ganzenua, Francesca Limana.

Animato 96 – Teatro, performance, arti visive , Sala 1, Rome.

Performances

1999

Œuvre d'être [performed by Alessandra Cristiani, Alessandra Lanciotti].

1999, Grottesche – Benci, van Hoeydonck, McMullan, Wright-Smith , BhaArt, Rome; 2000 , œuvres d'être...works of being...opere d'essere , Temple Gallery, Rome.

SELECTED VIDEO EXHIBITIONS AND FESTIVALS [* catalogue/publication]

2006

Silent Auction Benefit Exhibition, Lantana Projects, Memphis, USA.

2003

Cinema e arti elettroniche [international conference], Teatro Palladium, Rome.

2002

Tower of Peace. 2 nd International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (EUR), Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Piazza Navona, Stazione Termini, Rome.

Politika Buff , Art Workshop, Central House of Artists, Moscow; Knoll Galeria, Budapest. *

White, the Mask and the Dawn – Accords of Light , National Gallery, Bangkok.

Invideo il giovedì. Documenti in mostra , Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Rome.

15 th Instants Video , École Supérieure d'Art, Aix-en-Provence. *

7 th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome. *

2001

Camera con vista , Centro per le Arti Visive, Pesaro.

And then there was the bad weather , David Lusk Gallery, Memphis (USA). *

Accordi di luce – Oriente d'Occidente , National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome.*

Arte contemporanea in mediateca , MACRO, Rome.*

Elettroshock. 30 anni di video in Italia 1971-2001 , Acquario Romano, Rome.*

Aree intermediali e sinestetiche , National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, Rome.

Videotrip 01 , Teatro Vascello, Rome.

2000

In Video Veritas – Visioni Italiane , The British School at Rome.

Camera con vista , Teatro Vascello, Rome.*

Paesaggio dopo la battaglia , Ex-Church of San Michele, Tivoli. *

œuvres d'être...works of being...opere d'essere , Temple Gallery, Rome. *

And then there was the bad weather , LWF Projects, London. *

5th Roma Film Festival , Cinema Nuovo Olimpia, Rome. *

1999

Change – Videowork , Goethe-Institut, Rome. *

Home Abroad , Galerie ak & Ausstellungsraum Konstantin Adamopoulos, Frankfurt.*

12es Instants Vidéo , MJC, Manosque. *

Arte & Comunicazione – 1st International Biennial of Electronic Arts , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome.

1998

3rd Linea d'Ombra Film & Video Festival – Stile libero , Teatro Verdi, Salerno.*

Face-off , Riparte '98 art fair, Sheraton Hotel, Rome.*

1997

Œuvre d'être [performed by Alessandra Cristiani, Alessandra Lanciotti].

1999, Grottesche – Benci, van Hoeydonck, McMullan, Wright-Smith , BhaArt, Rome; 2000 , œuvres d'être...works of being...opere d'essere , Temple Gallery, Rome.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS [* catalogue/publication]

2007

Spazi Aperti 5, The Romanian Academy, Rome. *
Fiori di luce. Natura e artificio, Palazzo Patrizi, Castel Giuliano, Rome. *

2006

Metamorphosis of play, Central exhibition Hall Manège, Saint Petersburg, Russia. *

2005-6

Me myself & I, Gutleut15, Frankfurt; Glue, Berlin; Konsortium, Düsseldorf; Hobbyshop, Munich; Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam.

2002

Il giardino dei pensieri , Galleria Limiti Inchiusi, Campobasso.

Ad occhi aperti , HyunnArt Studio, Rome.

2000

LaboratorioBoario [a project by Stalker], Ararat – Ex-Mattatoio, Rome.

Domus Æterna , Artificialia, Steyl (Holland); Scala Santa at The Lateran, Rome.*

1999

Grottesche , Ex-Church of Santo Stefano, Tivoli.

Grottesche (Jacopo Benci, Paul van Hoeydonck, Shauna McMullan, Andrew Wright-Smith) , BhaArt, Rome.

Trovare gli aghi , Franco Riccardo Arti Visive, Naples.

1998

Brecce , Museo Laboratorio d'Arte Contemporanea, Università ‘La Sapienza', Rome.*

Percezione angolare , Change Studio, Rome.*

Natura inurbata , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome.

1997

Corsi di vuoto , Studio Toni De Rossi, Verona.*

L'Arte a Roma , Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea – Ex Mattatoio, Rome.*

Fuori luogo 2 , Church of San Bartolomeo, Campobasso, and Palazzo Ducale, Oratino.*

Incantesimi – Vicinanze , Medieval Quarter, Bomarzo.

Artisti per Opening , Temple Gallery, Rome.

1996

Femminile Maschile , Libreria Internazionale il Manifesto, Rome.*

Dialect (Neal Beggs, Jacopo Benci, Belinda Guidi, Ron Haselden, Sharon Kivland, Rosalind Nashashibi) , All Saints' Anglican Church, Rome.*

Incantesimi – Hic et nunc , Medieval Quarter, Bomarzo.

Ipotesi di realtà , Villaggio Globale – Ex Mattatoio, Rome.*

1995 FaxArt , Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome.*

Set , Gilda on the Beach, Fregene.

Outpost Biennale [a project by Fashion Architecture Taste, London], Giardini di Castello, Venice.

1994

Al-Quantara [a project by Stalker], Lungotevere dei Papareschi, Rome.

You get what you see , Palazzo Falcione, Campobasso; Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna, Palazzo Racani Arroni, Spoleto; Galleria de' Serpenti, Rome.*

1991

Cinque nuovi romani , Arteroma 91, Palazzo dei Congressi, Rome.*

1988

Astratta. Secessioni astratte in Italia dal dopoguerra al 1990 , Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna, Verona; Società Permanente per le Belle Arti, Milan; Kunsthalle, Darmstadt. *