Fear Of Mirrors by Alba Zari at Fondazione Pastificio Cerere

For her solo exhibition at Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Alba Zari explores the attraction to one's own reflection—an ancestral pull that represents the first step toward self-awareness.

Fondazione Pastificio Cerere presents Fear Of Mirrors, a solo exhibition by Alba Zari, curated by Francesco Rombaldi and supported by the European Union within the framework of the Creative Europe program, as part of the European project Intergalactica. 

Alba Zari uses photography as a tool for exploration and self-analysis, questioning the power of the image as trace, clue, and evidence, while also reflecting on its ambiguous and deceptive nature. Beneath an apparent scientific rigor lies a deep poetic sensibility through which she explores themes of memory and identity.

Her nomadic childhood, spent in various cities and countries, shaped her perspective and artistic practice. Travel has become a fundamental element of her visual research, which addresses complex social issues: from studies of mental health centers in Italy after the Basaglia Law, to reflections on eating disorders rooted in American society.

For her solo exhibition at Fondazione Pastificio Cerere, Alba Zari explores the attraction to one's own reflection—an ancestral pull that represents the first step toward self-awareness. Recognizing oneself in the mirror gives boundaries, shapes, and colors to the image we have of ourselves. But what happens when the mirror becomes a screen?

From this premise arises Fear Of Mirrors, a project that explores the dynamics of representation in the digital age. Through a visual and conceptual journey, Alba Zari investigates the relationship between image, identity, and cultural conditioning, questioning how new technologies influence self-perception.

The exhibition takes the form of an immersive experience, a flow of images and reflections that challenges contemporary visual and social constructs. Through a variety of languages and references, the artist invites the viewer to question what we define as authentic and to consider how much our image is truly free—or shaped by external gazes.

Fear Of Mirrors does not offer definitive answers, but opens a dialogue about our digital present: has the mirror finally shattered, or are we still prisoners of its reflection?