Aspundir: Divine Comedy- “EverAfter” By Claudia Rogge

Liberally inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, these photographic works entitled “EverAfter” seem to create the environments of Renaissance and Mannerist art. However, looking more closely the details are disturbing and make the spectator think of the tableaux vivants shown in some of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s films. Hell, Purgatory and Paradise become a motive for Claudia Rogge to explore the fine line which divides good from evil, with cynical allusion to vices and passions, from lust and greed to love and violence. The recreated scenes, which formally follow the religious roots of visual art, raise contemporary issues both in form and content, in first place the role of faith in western society which is becoming more and more secular. The promiscuous images contain a multitude of figures, beautiful and naked. A crowd lifts their arms to the heavens to praise, plead or curse, according to which circle of hell they have been assigned.