Known for his raw documentation of the LGBTQ+ community, the Greek photographer will bring his visions to life in “Body Heat,” his first Italian solo show opening at SPAZIO MARTÍN, Milan, on November 11
Words by: Gilda Bruno
Based between Athens and Berlin, Spyros Rennt has moved his first steps within the photography community lensing the bodies of those he met while diving into the underground rave scene of the world’s nightclub capital par excellence. Having previously showcased his work at the Schinkel Pavillon (Berlin, 2019) and the Schwules Museum (Berlin, 2021), the Greece-born visual artist is now looking to share his engaging documentation of queerness with the Italian public; a wish set to come true on November 11, the opening date for Rennt’s Body Heat exhibition, which will be hosted by the multidisciplinary event space SPAZIO MARTÍN, Milan, between November 12 and December 5.
“Very excited to announce my upcoming solo show ‘Body Heat’ in Milan at the wonderful SPAZIO MARTÍN which is opening in 2 weeks from today on the 11th of November,” the artist said on Instagram last week. “This is my first exhibition in Italy and I will be showing older and newer works — as the title of the show implies, this will be a sexy selection 😉 Needless to say, I am counting the days.”
Bringing together lovers, friends, and complete strangers captured in both private and public spaces, Rennt’s photography channels the lust for life of a portion of society that is still too often subjected to systemic violence and discrimination. With his camera, the Berlin-based photographer thus attempts to redeem the LGBTQ+ community from the challenges of our times and re-write the narrative characterising their experiences. The result is a visual archive that, immortalising moments of affection, passion, and joy otherwise destined to succumb to the passage of time, exudes hope for a better future.
“Rennt has produced an impressive array of images documenting his personal experiences,” reads a statement by SPAZIO MARTÍN. “His aim through this personal documentation is to contribute to the public discourse on sexual emancipation and to support the visibility and representation of the LGBTQ+ community. While pictures can only present and reconstruct his past experiences in an inevitably fragmented way, the love that binds the photographer to individuals, to groups of people (and even parts of their bodies), is obvious throughout his work; it is what connects him to the very essence of his community.”
Spyros Rennt‘s Body Heat opens at SPAZIO MARTÍN, Milan, November 12—December 5