Mimmo Jodice is a renowned Italian photographer celebrated for his profound exploration of time, memory, and classical heritage through the lens of contemporary photography. Born in Naples, Jodice began his artistic journey in the 1960s, quickly establishing himself as a leading figure in the Italian and international photography scenes. His work is characterized by a poetic interplay of light and shadow, often focusing on the silent dialogue between antiquity and the present.
Our hand signed, limited-edition offset print of Mimmo Jodice’s Demetra (Ercolano 1992) is of a quality similar to a photographic print. It is part of a series that explores the concept of memory and the relationship between the past and the present through the lens of ancient Greek mythology. The serene, almost ethereal image features a sculptural face of a woman, evoking the goddess Demeter, who is associated with agriculture, harvest, and the cycle of life and death. The work’s power lies in its ability to connect classical themes with contemporary sensibilities, prompting reflection on timeless human experiences by delving into the past and its influence on the present. The series explores fragments of ancient civilisations and their connection to the Mediterranean world.
The image shows a fragment of a marble sculpture, a classical-looking female head marred by a laceration that runs across her entire right cheek from her cheekbone to her chin, splitting it in two; the tip of her nose is also missing. The fragment has been reassembled by a hand (the artist’s?) and repositioned in front of the photographer’s lens, thus highlighting the damage caused by time. The head belonged to a 1st-century AD Roman statue found in Herculaneum, a ‘Demeter’ also depicted in other well-known images by Jodice, who has often devoted himself to archaeology, particularly in the series entitled “Mediterraneo”, which began in the early 1990s and continued for decades. It includes this work, which also has been printed in color in another version.
Hand signed offset print, published by Giornale dell’Arte (Società Editrice Allemandi A R.L., Torino). The mounted print measures 13.5 x 15 inches (34.5 x 38 cm), the frame is 21 x 18 x 1.5 inches (53 x 43 x 3.8 cm). The edition references are printed on the back and visible through a window in the passe-partout cardboard:
“Four-color offset reproduction printed at Arti Grafiche Parini in Turin on Fedrigoni X-per Premium White 320g paper of the original work “Demetra” by Mimmo Jodice, selected by the author for the Giornale dell’Arte as a gift for subscribers for the year 2016. Each copy bears the artist’s autograph signature.”
“Riproduzione in stampa offset a 4 colori eseguita presso le Arti Grafiche Parini di Torino su carta Fedrigoni X-per Premium White 320g dell’opera originale «Demetra» di Mimmo Jodice selezionata dall’autore per il Giornale dell’Arte dono augurale per l’anno 2016 riservato agli abbonati. Ogni copia reca la firma autografa dell’artista.”
