TIME CAPSULE

The exhibition SECRET DOLCE VITA unveils to the public for the first time the SECRET ARCHIVE: a newly discovered photographic trove containing millions of previously unseen negatives and glass plates that capture a hidden, intimate Italy throughout the twentieth century. Rare images, most never before shown.

The project celebrates the spirit of one of the most iconic chapters in Rome’s history, when cinema, fashion, and glamour took centre stage, recounted in the rapid-fire rhythm of the paparazzi’s flashbulbs.

While the outdoor exhibition presents these images as an immersive urban narrative, this indoor show marks a new chapter.

These Time Capsules by Italian artist Edoardo Dionea Cicconi transform rare original negatives selected from the SECRET ARCHIVE into original works of contemporary art — a collaboration between artist and archive.

Following in the tradition of the Italian Transavanguardia’s appropriation and revival of historical figurative art in painting, Cicconi’s updated palette is photographic: a threshold where the image is no longer just a record of the past, but a living material reactivated and transformed by the artist’s gaze.

Cicconi’s works begin with the art of selection and composition. All Time Capsule pieces are derived from original negatives, many only recently rediscovered thanks to this exhibition. And here lies the magic: it’s as if a time machine has returned us to the world of the Dolce Vita. The photographs, many unseen since they were first taken, are faithfully preserved in their original state – without retouching or digital manipulation – embracing the authenticity of imperfection. Even the smallest flaws become integral to the image’s aura of history and aesthetic value.

All of Cicconi’s works are handmade in Italy, honouring the tradition from which they emerge. Through his innovative use of proprietary photographic processes, the archival photographs are reimagined and printed on materials such as glass, polished steel, and other surfaces, forging a tactile dialogue between light, reflection, and memory. The result is a series of unique, luminous pieces in which the past is reimagined through physical matter, offering a sensory and contemplative experience of the photographic image.

Joe La Placa

Gallerist