MARCO LUCCIO at fortyfivedownstairs today

Marco Luccio at fortyfive downstairs. Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2016

Lindsay, Suzette and I helped Leonie celebrate her sixty-fifth birthday today by seeing the extensive Marco Luccio New York Mythic exhibition now showing at fortyfivedownstairs, at 45 Flinders Street, Melbourne. I was pleased and honored that Marco not only remembered me, but he particularly remembered the lengthy conversation we had about Joel-Peter Witkin's work fourteen years ago in 2002. The conversation we had was at LaMamma. I'd been carrying around the book on Witkin that I'd purchased in 1996, together with my observations in a piece of writing that would form part of a large chapter in my PhD thesis on amputees and cyborgs. I was rather passionate about my interest in Witkin's work and in particular his interpretation of Velasques Las Meninas and was happy that I'd met someone who shared my interest not only in Witkin's use of a female amputee, which I likened to the borg queen in Star Trek, but in photography. I must say after viewing Luccio's works this afternoon I was thoroughly entranced by his intensely dark, almost Gothic etchings, drawings and large scale paintings. He's an important artist and such a talent. Actually, overwhelmed is perhaps closer to what I was thinking as I perused the black and white works, which occupy both rooms in the gallery space. My favorite was New York Mythic 15 because although the extensive panoramic views of New York were compelling I appreciate this particular work because it appeared as if the city was disintegrating perhaps to rise again amidst the rubble. Luccio's work may be located at http://www.marcoluccio.com.au or see his work, which is on show until the 8 October.