Mirror Stage Rebecca Ackroyd

Rebecca Ackroyd: Mirror Stage
Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
April 20 – November 24, 2024
Fondaco Marcello, Venice, IT

Presented by Kestner Gesellschaft and curated by Attilia Fattori Franchini, Rebecca Ackroyd: Mirror Stage is a Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. This exhibition unveils a new body of work by Rebecca Ackroyd, transforming the historic Fondaco Marcello into a dreamlike stage where reality, memory, and the subconscious collide.

Through large-scale paintings, drawings, cast sculptures, and ready-made objects, Ackroyd delves into the fragmented nature of identity and perception. Inspired by the Lacanian concept of the mirror stage, the exhibition examines the division between conscious and unconscious states, using the mirror as both a reflective tool and a symbol of separation.

The installation merges past and present, familiar and uncanny, to create a sensory experience that evokes a surreal, semi-hallucinatory reality. By casting figures, deconstructing objects, and reassembling them into new forms, Ackroyd constructs a layered narrative that invites the viewer to explore the intersections of time, selfhood, and the subconscious.

Mirror Stage continues Ackroyd’s exploration of themes introduced in her solo exhibition Period Drama at Kestner Gesellschaft, expanding her visual language to reflect on memory, desire, and the surreal language of dreams. This exhibition is realized with the support of Peres Projects, which represents Rebecca Ackroyd.