At the MAST Foundation in Bologna, Jeff Wall’s complex, nuanced and emblematic photographic works depict evocative situations, profound impressions and events that never happened. With the exhibition Living, Working, Surviving, photography becomes painting, documentation becomes interpretation and ambiguity becomes the starting point for analyzing the most profound issues of our society.

Jeff Wall, “Dressing Poultry”, 2007, transparency in lightbox, ©: Jeff Wall, Courtesy: Cranford Collection, London

One might say that Jeff Wall’s Living, Working Surviving exhibition at the MAST Foundation in Bologna lacks a clear overarching theme. The photographs are ambiguous and emblematic. Displayed in various exhibition spaces within the building, the images engage with one another. Groups of two or three works with similar characteristics are always juxtaposed with another, creating contrast, thus creating movement within the composition. Color photographs, both with and without internal lighting (lightboxes), alternate with black and white, creating an overview of the various media the artist has employed throughout his career. The artist treats photography as a medium capable of exploring major social and existential themes while retaining an ambiguity that attracts and intrigues the viewer. The images unfold a universe of meanings that are never fully revealed; they remain veiled by an ambiguity that allows them to open up to countless food for thought.

Jeff Wall, “Housekeeping”, 1996, gelatin silver print, ©: Jeff Wall, Courtesy: Hauser & Wirth

The dimensions of the images are meticulously considered. Although the exhibition features smaller works, the large format prevails, allowing the emotions of the depicted subjects to be clearly conveyed, fully immersing the viewer in the scene and engaging in the action of the depicted event. This is evident, for example, in the work Dressing Poultry, which, despite depicting a group of people engaged in a clear and recognizable activity, is open to a wide range of interpretations due to the moods present in the image. The work Housekeeping is highly evocative, presenting, this time using black and white, a theme that extends beyond the explicit consideration of women’s work, but also explores the space of intimacy. The bed, the place where we rest, dress and undress, is an essential element in our lives, an intimate and personal space. The work depicts a hotel or resort room. This element has clearly been used by dozens, if not hundreds, of people who have shared their intimacy in the same place where others are and will be. The work highlights the life within the object before us, a reflection on the memory of places and the value of intimacy in our society, all frozen in a moment of transition as fleeting as it is emblematic.

Jeff Wall, “Overpass”, 2001, transparency in lightbox, ©: Jeff Wall, Courtesy: Private Collection Gagosian

Equally essential is Overpass, a photograph depicting a bridge over which a group of people are walking. We don’t know if they know each other or if they are simply passers-by walking in the same direction; in fact, we know nothing except what we see. The photograph potentially opens up the themes of work, career, transition and the burden each of us carries, but everything remains suspended and unclear, thus bringing us closer than ever to reality, where external situations and elements converge, elements we observe and often fail to understand. Volunteer, on the other hand, is a work that, using black and white, transports us into a very intimate and tender everyday life. A man washes the floor of a living room. His face isn’t smiling, but it’s not sad either. From the title, we understand that the experience he’s going through is the result of his own choice. The place he’s in seems to be a lived-in place, perhaps linked to childhood, given the painting on the wall and the toys hanging on it. The care expressed by the boy’s gesture is also captured in this shot where the framing, the subject’s pose, and his expression are perfectly calculated and integrated; they are the result of countless trials and errors, and they are the most precise, timely and essential representation of the event depicted. Another black-and-white photograph is Weightlifter. In this case, the athlete is captured in a very precise moment. The muscles are tense, the weight is about to be lifted, and the strength is about to be released. Everything around seems humble and dirty. It’s not a standard gym, it’s not a clean and sanitized space, it’s something else, it’s a unique place.

Jeff Wall, “Volunteer”, 1996, gelatin silver print, ©: Jeff Wall, Courtesy: Glenstone Museum

Careful selection of the moment and framing that compose the image is a key feature of the entire Living, Working Surviving exhibition, which highlights the life, daily routine and gestures of human beings, thus interpreting the historical period in which they live and the society they inhabit. Through shots constructed while always maintaining the originality of the subject – who therefore lives rather than acts – life itself is represented using the photographic medium as Manet, Velázquez and Delacroix used painting: as a device capable of exploring and interpreting the most heartfelt and present themes of life and everyday life. With a keen interest in the representation of people in difficulty, those who suffer, those who work, and those who struggle, Jeff Wall speaks to us, seeking to create a language free of ideological and aesthetic constraints, through emblematic, powerful, and profound works that frame the essence of contemporary human life in the most intimate and refined way.

Info:

Jeff Wall. Living, Working, Surviving
07/11/2025 – 08/03/2026
Fondazione MAST
Via Speranza, 42, 40133 Bologna BO
www.mast.org

Samuel Tonelli

Always connected to the art world, Samuel Tonelli attended the course in Art Education and Communication at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna and furthered his studies with the two-year master’s program in Education and Cultural Mediation of Artistic Heritage. After gaining experience mediating in various exhibitions and teaching art history at the art high school in Bologna, he developed a passion for art writing, which he sees as a powerful means of expression capable of opening up visions, broadening horizons and enriching the understanding of diverse perspectives on reality.