Athanor
by Chiara Benzi
portfolio shortlisted call 'Urbanautica Institute Awards 2024', 2024
Category: People and Communities
In the depths of the soul's dark night, the journey into the underworld unfolds—a realm of suffering and chaos that can also nurture glimpses of light and healing. In this powerful project, artist Chiara Benzi draws on the insights of C. G. Jung, who associated the darkness of the soul's shadow with the Nigredo stage. This phase signifies putrefaction and decomposition, marking the first step in the alchemical process of transforming base metals into gold. It also serves as the groundwork for understanding the individuation process.
The title refers to the Athanor, the alchemists' furnace through which transmutation occurs: the passage from one state to another, the frontier traversed by action.
A bridge between earthly and otherworldly life, the Athanor indicates the union between the physical and immaterial worlds.
Using photography and video, Benzi showcases the dedication, engagement, and perseverance required to transform the matter, ultimately achieving the golden clarity that leads to the transfiguration and spiritualization of the Self.
also from Urbanautica Institute Awards 2024