Photomenta - Mines and Quarries
The photographs at this "port" provide us with two different photographic perspectives - a Bosnian perspective and an Italian one - on the marble quarries in Carrara, Italy. These quarries first became active in the second century BCE. They produce 30 different types of marble, most characterized by a white-gray-bluish hue. These quarries also supplied the raw material for Renaissance sculptures, including those by Michelangelo and Donatello, and for important buildings around the Mediterranean basin, including the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as well as St. Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon in Rome. Today, the quarries cater mainly to clients including banks, casinos, Persian Gulf states, and Saudi Arabia. The photographs on display offer a glimpse of the spirit and matter involved in mining and quarrying processes throughout the history of the Mediterranean region.
The Nehushtan Pavilion presents processes and facilities related to mining and smelting copper during different periods, based on the archaeological excavations in Timna and the Arava. These processes are presented as the first chapter in the grand story of progress from the Stone Age to the modern age.
Photomenta features the works of some 30 photographers from Mediterranean countries. The exhibition extends throughout the museum pavilions, the Migdal Gallery and the Archaeological Garden. These different sites serve as "port cities" from which visitors can embark on a journey throughout the Mediterranean.
Luca Locatelli (Italy), White Gold, Carrara Quarry, 2018
Primož Bizjak (Slovenia), Alpi Apuani, Carrara Quarry, 2014-2017