ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Marco Brambilla’s “Double Feature” takes us on a mind-blowing, psychedelic journey through the heart of Hollywood. It is an event that immerses us in his installations and invites us to participate in a visual festival. The piece uses spectacle to critique spectacle. It takes classic moments from cinema—from action scenes and musicals to romantic comedies—combines them, and highlights the sensory overload and commercialism that define modern culture. It suggests that the “Hollywood dream” is a giant show full of lavish, empty promises and lots of glitter.

Double Feature presents Brambilla’s first and last works in his Megaplex series: Civilization (2008) and Heaven’s Gate (2022).

Civilization is an immersive experience in a whirlwind of pop culture, where iconic moments in film history merge. Hyperrealistic clouds, prairies, and urban landscapes in flames form the backdrop for humanity’s frenetic media production and consumption. Civilization is a satirical look, a critique, and a celebration of Hollywood culture.

Heaven’s Gate explores themes of evolution and collapse of the human condition, delving into the seven levels of purgatory, each represented as a fantastical landscape of repeated samples from Hollywood’s Golden Age, with references to games, news, cinema, and reality shows. The protagonist seems to ascend to a heavenly paradise, and his journey is also a descent into chaos. A reflection on our shared cultural narratives and the challenges we face as a society.

Brambilla’s large-scale video installations are a window for reflecting on and challenging our own ideals and conventions. In Brambilla’s words, “in every work of art, the visceral impact of the work must tell its own story.”