"La Danza" by Umberto Ciceri: Solo exhibition
Oblong Contemporary is delighted to present La Danza, a new solo exhibition by Umberto Ciceri, where dance is transformed into a powerful meditation on movement, empathy and the ever-changing nature of human existence.
Inspired by the famous philosophical notion that one can never step into the same river twice, Ciceri reminds us that we can never dance the same dance twice, nor ever encounter the same ballerina in exactly the same way. Every moment is unique, and every perception is shaped by time, light and our own inner state.
At the centre of the exhibition stands La Ballerina, a figure in perpetual rotation around her own axis. Suspended between earthly and ethereal dimensions, she becomes a metaphor for the fragile and temporary balance that governs our lives. Her movement is not an act of repetition, but one of continuous transformation.
The choreography that inspired the work is drawn from The Dying Swan, the iconic solo piece created by Russian choreographer Michel Fokine to the music of Camille Saint-Saëns. Through this reference, Ciceri explores the universal transition between life and death, articulated through four emotional stages: disorientation, anger, acceptance and transformation.
Throughout the exhibition, rhythm becomes a physical experience. The works invite visitors to move around them, to engage with their orbital energy and to participate in an ongoing search for both individual and collective centrality. These are rhythmic works to be walked through, moving paintings that remind us that balance itself is a miracle and that we are all, willingly or unwillingly, engaged in permanent action.
A recurring concept in Ciceri's practice is resonance. For the artist, resonance symbolises human empathy: a harmonious interaction between ourselves and the world that surrounds us. As sequences of movement and colour repeat, a dialogue gradually emerges between the artwork and its observer, until both begin to resonate together, as though sharing a single note.
La Danza ultimately privileges experience over observation. Each encounter with the work is unique, shaped by the quality of light, the passing of time and the emotional, physical and psychological state of each viewer.
With this exhibition, Umberto Ciceri creates a ceremonial space of shared participation, where contrasts transform into harmony and movement becomes a collective act of belonging.
In a world in constant motion, La Danza invites us to embrace instability not as a condition of uncertainty, but as a force capable of generating connection, empathy and unity.
Opening: Saturday, 4 July 2026, from 6:30 PM
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