Atto 1/3: Sotto la Luce
September 19 – November 19, 2025

Galerie Bigaignon & Rhinoceros Gallery
Via del Velabro 9A
Rome, Italy

Light, the foundation of all creation, has always been one of the most sought-after and explored themes in art history. In photography, it is inseparable from the medium itself — created through it and shaped by it. This group exhibition brings together 19 works (photographs, paintings, sculptures & installations) by 15 artists of the gallery, each interpreting light as the central theme.

James Howell’s first exhibition in Rome. Atto 1/3: Sotto la Luce, presented by Bigaignon Gallery in collaboration with Rhinoceros Gallery, inaugurates a three-part project dedicated to light as subject, medium, and metaphor.

In this exhibition, Howell’s subtle gradations of tone and light enter into dialogue with Hungarian artist Máté Dobokay, offering two distinct yet resonant approaches to the materiality of light. While Dobokay’s photographic investigations examine the physical and atmospheric conditions of illumination, Howell’s paintings articulate light through disciplined tonal modulation. The result is a quiet yet profound exchange between surface and depth, material and perception.

At the center of the presentation is 48.17 11/26/00 (2000), acrylic on canvas, 66 x 66 inches (168 x 168 cm), a work that exemplifies Howell’s mature practice. Through meticulously calibrated layers of pigment, the painting reveals a field of grey that appears at once stable and shifting, inviting sustained attention and perceptual attunement. As in much of Howell’s oeuvre, structure and intuition coexist: a precise internal logic governs the surface, yet the experience of the work unfolds slowly, through light and time.

Situated within the architectural setting of Rhinoceros Gallery in the heart of Rome, Atto 1/3: Sotto la Luce positions Howell’s practice within a broader European discourse on abstraction, photography, and the poetics of restraint.

About Galerie Bigaignon
Bigaignon is a Paris-based contemporary art gallery. The gallery's line of work is rooted in the avant-garde movements of minimalism, conceptual art, light & space, and abstract art, as well as in experimental & conceptual photography, for which it has played a leading role for almost 10 years.

About Rhinoceros Gallery
Rhinoceros Gallery is a contemporary art space located in the historic Velabro district of Rome, within the landmark architectural complex designed by Jean Nouvel. Dedicated to interdisciplinary dialogue, the gallery presents exhibitions that explore the intersections of art, architecture, design, and critical thought. Its program brings together international artists whose practices engage materiality, light, and spatial perception, fostering a rigorous exchange between contemporary experimentation and Rome’s layered cultural history. Through ambitious curatorial projects and institutional collaborations, Rhinoceros Gallery positions itself as a dynamic platform within the European cultural landscape.