"Blurring the boundaries between architecture, social space, and sculpture, a new bar has arrived on the scene in Rome. Bar Far reimagines a traditional gallery, which happens to be the new location of Villa Lontana, into a visually mesmerizing meeting spot. The name of the show and temporary libations pop-up is a play on the name of Villa Lontana itself, which translates to "faraway villa," and it's the latest from artists Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page."
"Keith-Roach is known for her sculpted figurative forms, often using plaster and terracotta to create reliefs and life-size body parts that intertwine, twist, and merge with large vessels redolent of ancient pots. Feet, hands, and other anatomical parts or artifacts are sometimes displayed as if they have been recently excavated from the earth, arranged on shelves or in plastic. In Bar Far, Keith-Roach hybridizes her anatomical sculptures into tables, benches, and frames."
"Merging with the architecture, arms and legs bend around corners and lead viewers toward a rear arcade filled with moody, red-orange paintings by Page. Glowing from beyond a series of arches, echoing Renaissance arcades, his skies give the impression that the room floats in the air, or that someone could simply step out into the atmosphere. In his practice, Page's trompe l'œil works often serve as portals, sometimes framed like windows or looking uncannily like mirrors reflecting sunlit corners."
Bar Far converts Villa Lontana's gallery into a hybrid bar and installation that collapses architecture, social space, and sculpture. Neon signage, tables supported by sculpted legs, and sconces in the form of hands holding candles create functional artworks that evoke art bars like Cabaret Voltaire and Caffè Greco. Clementine Keith-Roach integrates plaster and terracotta anatomical reliefs into benches, tables, and frames that appear excavated and entwined with the building. Christopher Page's moody red-orange trompe l'oeil paintings glow beyond arches, suggesting floating rooms and atmospheric portals that read like windows or mirrors, extending the spatial illusion throughout the arcade.
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