Napoli

Photographer Candida Hofer continues her global project of imaging publicly used interiors in Naples. She photographed theatres, concert halls, libraries, institutes. given the city's vast historical and culturalheritage, her pictures of the townhouses and palaces possess extraordinary aesthetic powers of seduction. Devoid of people, as is usual with Hofer's work, the rooms have a solemn & silent beauty that contrasts with the seething life ofthe city & gives them a new value of testimony. These images don't "capture" the viewer; they are the slow, elaborate distillation of a photomoment, in which symmety, beauty & balance attain a profound visual synergy. Illus., 42 color. Text in German and English