Paris, France — In another sign that the contemporary Parisian art scene remains vibrant and in constant renewal, the Marais neighborhood is enjoying a relatively new spacious gallery, the Galleria Continua,  currently hosting a show devoted to three contemporary artists including Giovanni Ozzola who hails from Florence and works in the Canary Islands. His show, entitled For a Little While, brings together myriad mediums combining photography and video with ancient techniques like slate engraving, sculpture by moulding and strappo, which was used to remove frescoes from walls and to place them on canvas. His works take a look at infinity and exploration and limits, boundaries. For as he explained recently during a tour of his show, everything has limits like conservations, how much to actually say, for example.

Left: Giovanni Ozzola, Untitled — Through a Day — a Life, #4, 2016. Courtesy the artist and the Galleria Continua. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette Right: Giovanni Ozzola, Untitled — Through a Day — a Life, #4, 2016. Courtesy the artist and the Galleria Continua. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

This look at limits is particularly showcased in a series of photographs featuring bunkers that look out to the sea that he discovered during his explorations of the island of Tenerife where he lives and works. Here is the limit between land and sea. Here is the limit between night and day. The series, entitled Untitled-Through a Day -A Life, captures different intensities of light depending on the time of day as the sea meets the sky. These are thought-provoking works which draw the eye, like his Dune photograph where the horizon is endless.  Another work that is seemingly boundless is a unique work entitled No Solidity in a State of Vibration made with silicon, paint and wire mesh. An intriguing item in the show is an old nautical bell used at sea to signal one’s position or presence at sea,  that the artist engraved the words fear and desire upon. There is also a series of long bronze bars capped off with fragile snail shells. A limit between fragility and strength?

Galleria Continua was founded in 1990 by Mario Cristiani, Lorenzo Fiaschi and Maurizio Rigillo, in the magnificent and timeless Italian city of San Gimignano. It aims, as its name implies to give continuity to contemporary art in a landscape rich in signs of ancient art. Other locations followed including Beijing, Havana, Rome and Paris which opened in the historic Marais district in 2021. The Galleria Continua is more than just a beautiful exhibition space. There is a book store and a place for enjoying beverages, light meals, snacks and award-winning Italian ice-cream. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11am until 7pm and by appointment. The Giovanni Ozzola show is on through June 14th. 87 rue du Temple, 75003, Paris, France, +33 (o) 1 43 70 00 88. https://www.galleriacontinua.com/