Bologna: t's (NOT) Only Rock'n'Roll. Mark Allan's photos at the International Music Museum and Library

Bologna: t's (NOT) Only Rock'n'Roll. Mark Allan's photos at the International Music Museum and Library.

The International Museum and Library of Music of Bologna is pleased to host from 9 June to 10 September 2023 It's (NOT) Only Rock'n'Roll. The photos of Mark Allan, the first exhibition to present in Italy the work of Mark Allan, doyen of musical photography and official photographer of the Barbican Center in London, one of the most important international spaces for music, dance and theatre, for which he has portrayed, in 30 years of career, all the great protagonists of international classical and symphonic music.

After the success of Allan's solo show held at the Barbican Library in 2019, in the Music Museum of Bologna, declared a Creative City of Music by UNESCO, 48 of the most iconic shots will be visible in a large retrospective curated by Pierfrancesco Pacoda taken by the British photographer between the XNUMXs and XNUMXs, which reveal his great passion for rock music. An interest he has cultivated since he was a young art student at Goldsmiths College, which led him to photograph the most representative names of new music - from rock to soul, from pop to rap - and to be present at all the events that in recent decades have made the history of these sounds.

His photographs document and tell different languages ​​and extraordinary characters, narrated through images outside the conventions of the portrait, managing, in many cases, to transform professional relationships into friendships. As it happened with David Bowie, who, being in Roskilde, Denmark, to participate in the famous rock festival, invited him to join him to take some photos.

Thus was born a portrait that gives us a Never seen Bowie, sitting on the beach on a deck chair playing with a bucket, spade and sand. A dimension opposite to the one desired, for example, by Grace Jones who asked the photographer to enhance her appearance as an unapproachable femme fatale. The result is some shots that amplify the sensual side of the artist, who enjoys offering the camera her most seductive side. And then again, among others, the photographs that a very young Allan took of Freddie Mercury during the Live Aid recordings, the shots of U2 in the Radio Times studios, the concerts of Madonna, Metallica, Paul McCartney, Sex Pistols, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, The Who and unique encounters like the one with Amy Winehouse, taken during a break in recording a concert for BBC One Session.

Special guest of the exhibition will be Francesco De Molfetta's work The greatest Rock'n'Roll Panda in the world!, exhibited courtesy of Patrizia Casale Bauer.

The idea of ​​bringing this extraordinary gallery which tells the story of international rock and pop music on display in Bologna was born, also thanks to the collaboration of Pierfrancesco Pacoda, curator of the exhibition, as well as music critic and essayist, from the idea of ​​starting a new exhibition line in the city and, in particular at the Music Museum, dedicated to musical photography, to share its artistic and cultural value with enthusiasts of the genre and fans.
The first exhibition project dedicated to Mark Allan's activity therefore represents a perfect opportunity to present to the public the museum's new exhibition space, renovated and expanded, which will be equipped with a setup specifically designed to accommodate photographic exhibitions based on the fascinating encounter between image and music.

Mark Allan will be present in Bologna to share his experience with the public in the Photographing rock workshop on Saturday 10 June at 10.30 am. Participation is free, with reservations required: ordinimuseomusica@comune.bologna.it (max 20 places available).

With the exhibition It's (NOT) Only Rock'n'Roll. Photos by Mark Allan the new collaboration between the Bologna Civic Museums Sector and the Magna Grecia Orchestral Concert Institution of Taranto, signed by a multi-year agreement for the promotion of cultural activities, the conception and implementation of special projects and common itineraries, as well as for the coordinated programming of exhibitions, conferences, concerts and various events of a musical, artistic, scientific and teaching in general.
As an institution responsible for conserving, exhibiting and enhancing the main musical heritage of the city of Bologna, the Music Museum is configured as the closest partner to mark the beginning of a relationship of comparison and project exchange with the Orchestral Concert Institution Magna Graecia.

The exhibition also marks the operational start of the actions of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Municipalities of Bologna and Taranto for the development of shared projects also in the cultural field.

It will be Mark Allan's photography that will create an ideal counterpoint between Bologna and Taranto thanks to the satellite section It's (NOT) only Rock'n'Roll which, again from 9 June to 10 September, at the “Pietro Acclavio” Civic Library will exhibit six images by Mark Allan characterized by the same rock visual tone presented at the Music Museum, as part of the third edition of MAP Festival – Musica Architettura Parallelismi, the event conceived and organized by the Magna Grecia Orchestral Concert Institution which combines music with architecture, scheduled in Taranto from 1 to 11 June 2023.

Elena Di Gioia, delegate for Culture of Bologna and the Metropolitan City, declares: “The exhibition takes place within our International Museum and Music Library which carries out training activities and live performances throughout the year – from classical music to popular music, from jazz to rock – as if to confirm Mark Allan's statement that through his photos he wants to convey the involvement and emotion experienced in attending a classical music concert or a rock concert at Wembley. It is an exhibition that confirms the high quality of the exhibition initiatives created and hosted in recent years by the Music Museum in its spaces, as well as the competence and passion for the most diverse aspects of the musical field of Pierfrancesco Pacoda who is the curator" .

“This exhibition is the first to present the work of Mark Allan, doyen of international musical photography in Italy – underlines Eva Degl'Innocenti, director of the Bologna Civic Museums Sector – and I believe it represents a very positive example of collaboration between public and private, between the Bologna Civic Museums Sector, the main sponsor Hera Group and the Magna Grecia Orchestral Concert Institution, in collaboration with OTTO Gallery and MAP Festival – Music Architecture Parallelisms. The exhibition also marks the start of the new collaboration between the Bologna Civic Museums Sector and the Magna Grecia Orchestral Concert Institution of Taranto and the operational start of the actions of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Municipalities of Bologna and Taranto".

For Piero Romano, artistic director of the Magna Grecia Orchestral Concert Institution: “It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to synergize our skills in such an important parterre. The Magna Grecia Orchestra has turned its gaze to multidisciplinarity since its beginnings and to be able to support a project dedicated to the history of rock music, but above all to amplify the resonance of this exhibition through our MAP Festival with the exhibition of some photos also in Taranto , it is certainly a source of pride."

The exhibition project is created with the main sponsorship of the Hera Group which always stands out for its cultural sensitivity and dynamic adherence to the projects of the Bologna Civic Museums Sector. “Being the main sponsor of this prestigious national initiative in Bologna, the city where the Hera Group has its headquarters, is a source of pride for us. It means supporting excellent initiatives and at the same time encouraging social opportunities that contribute to strengthening the culture in our territories at a national and international level. – comments Giuseppe Gagliano, central director of Communication and External Relations of the Hera Group – Mark Allan's shots take us far: a journey where photography and music intertwine, while remaining within a historical framework such as that of the International Museum and Library of the Music of our city. Appointments like these meet the values ​​that our multi-utility also feels strong: involving people in constant cultural exchange to further consolidate a sense of well-being and belonging to their community".

The exhibition It's (NOT) Only Rock'n'Roll. Mark Allan's photos is accompanied by a catalog published by the Municipality of Bologna, which contains the photographic images exhibited in Bologna and Taranto and an interview by Pierfrancesco Pacoda with Mark Allan. The volume is available exclusively at the Music Museum bookshop.

The exhibition project is created with the main sponsorship of the Hera Group, the support of the Magna Grecia Orchestral Concert Institution and in collaboration with OTTO Gallery and MAP Festival – Musica Architettura Parallelismi. It is also part of Bologna Estate 2023, the program of activities promoted by the Municipality of Bologna and the Metropolitan City of Bologna - Bologna-Modena Tourist Territory.