Curated by Art Directors Carlo Greco and Alessandra Magni Critical texts by Art Curators
Alessia Domenichini Alessia Perone Alessia Procopio Alessia Ventola Angela Papa Camilla Gilardi Carola Antonioli Chiara Lezzi Chiara Rizzatti Elisabetta Eliotropio Erika Gravante Federica Acciarino Federica D’Avanzo Federica Schneck Francesca Brunello Francesca Catarinicchia Giulia Fontanesi Ilaria Falchetti Karla Peralta Málaga
Laura Gabola Lisa Galletti Lucrezia Perropane Ludovica Petracca Manuela Fratar Mara Cipriano Maria Teresa Cafarelli Marina Maggiore Matilde Della Pina Matilde Grossi Matilde Lanciani Marta Graziano Martina Bassi Martina Lattuca Martina Stagi Martina Viesti Miriam Passoni Sara Giannini Silvia Grassi Vanessa Viti
To break free. To spit. To take your own place into this world. To not care about collective issues, trends, topics of the year, shape, movements. The artists of M.A.D.S Gallery strip themselves of all the structures, they choose new ones, built by and for themselves, they don't care about the likes, of being interesting, of having a following; are masters of their own storytelling. M.A.D.S is inspired by the words of Public Enemy in Fight the power to call creative to show what they know best, themselves: bum rush the show you gotta go for what you know Make everybody see, in order to fght the power that be The invitation is to hurry up the show, throw yourself into what you know, show it to everyone to fght power. Forced, locked up, protected, forcibly adapted to the context and the system. This is how they want us, educated, and that nobody moves. Fuck Then! We will do what we want, when we want it and how we want it, our art is our answer. The statement of the authors we care about today, artists whose generosity has no limits, who give us part of their soul, to act as a mirror, to dig into memory or even to just enjoy its beauty. Because " beauty will save the world " says Fiodor Dostoevskij in The idiot, but these artists say Fuck it, I'll save myself. Artists have always known this and they will not let the world forget them taught within some emotional enclosure, while everyone seems to be focused on being safe, on limits and boundaries, and protections, the artists say fuck it, it's all bullshit! The artists live in the Hyperuranium, that area beyond the sky where immutable and perfect ideas reside, according to Plato, reachable only by the intellect. And here, we are about to approach the most disillusioned thinker with regard to art that history knows. For Plato, art is a mere imitation of reality, therefore nothing to do with the truth, which we want to talk about today. But we also say fuck to Plato and declare his Hyperuranium as occupied and self-managed at the service of artistic urgency, irrational thinking and the emotional desire to exist. And you can't fuck with Hyperuranium, just as you can't fuck with art. They will scream from balconies, they will paint their neighbours, they will sing until the voice is over. You can’t stop them. They will go on and on until the truth is revealed. This is what art is made of. Truth. And you can’t stop the truth, you can’t be protected enough from the truth, because if you even try, it will hit so hard you will be barely able to speak and breath. But if you just say fuck it then, you allow yourself to feel all the feelings. So lets feel all the feelings and fuck of. Concept by Erika Gravante, graduated in Product Design and Curatorship
ad.inf “I always dream of a pen that would be a syringe.” (Michel Onfray) German artist ad.inf works with a wide range of media, painting, collage, digital techniques. Sometimes, as in the case of the proposed painting, the various techniques are mixed and bend to the artist's will. The presence of many layers and the continuous overlapping of images that have already been processed, allows the unknown to reveal itself and to amaze. For ad.inf, the rhythm of listening and observing, processing and returning what surrounds him is a precise method and the key to his practice. With the rubber tool, he finds himself eliminating with a single gesture what may have been parts of a long process of sedimentation. Such a banal tool becomes of fundamental importance, almost a sceptre of the ultimate power of choice: what is in and what is out. The artist himself calls it digital deconstruction. "Hyperfake" is one of those works of art that require a good amount of contemplation time. The image is so layered and finely produced that it is very easy to miss fundamental details that become a potentially necessary key to interpretation. A centre, a point, a goal, at the same time a breaking point, a hole, a thud from which constant vibrations and reverberations depart, aiming at the viewer's gaze and not only that but at the whole body. An unstoppable energy that, starting from a point, be it inflicted or consequent, radiates bursting into the surrounding atmosphere. A blow, in every sense, that only honest art can deliver.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
ad.inf
hyperfake
Akane Tsuruda “Mind is a flexible mirror, adjust it, to see a better world.”(Amit Ray)
Tokyo based digital collage artist Akane Tsuruda works with found images as well as those produced by her. With immense sensitivity she approaches, adds, subtracts and interlocks elements that can transparently describe her emotional state, once connected. The artist declares that she approached the world of digi-collage for a relatively short time with astounding results. The fervor of her practice stems from an almost unstoppable urge to re-emerge from a miserable state. Art again makes a point of curing and healing. It is in that fragment of a second when the decision is made to fuck everything and everyone and to be only correct towards oneself that artistic action performa and acts, succeeding in becoming collective imagination. Tsuruda transmits messages of hope through her works. A melancholic substratum, reflective and maybe of latent pain can be surely seen and perceived but it is the awareness that generates a new light. The immersed use of whites in this work is impressive. This composition contains all the classical elements of art history and at the same time ignores it completely generating new rules, new perspectives. The opening element in this image is definitely the hands. Their intertwining generates a series of questions about the future, whether it is ours, the painting's, or the artist's: do the hands belong to two different bodies or to the same body? Do they come closer together or further apart? Where does the light that comes from the grazing of fingers lead? This work of art is a journey into the stream of consciousness of each of us. Take its hand.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Akane Tsuruda
The expansion of consciousness
Alejandra Pérez López "The mistake was to believe the Earth was ours, when in fact we were from the Earth.” (Nicanor Parra)
The contemporary artist Alejandra Pérez López develops her entire artistic research around the theme of environmental sustainability and man's relationship with Mother Earth. In fact, her works are characterized by portraits of female faces, whose style recalls the expressive language of the Renaissance, with a strong contemporary imprint dictated by the presence of dissonant elements. Tattoos, earrings, piercings and bizarre hairstyles accompany these portrayals, conveying a contemporary world of overwhelming beauty, but at the same time contaminated by the hand of man. The beauty of this young woman is questioned as soon as we see rubbish among the flowers in her hairstyle. Between the flowing red hair we see a crumpled can, bottle caps, straws and plastic cutlery. Finally, tattooed on her chest is a phrase that reads: "The mistake was to believe the earth was ours". Quoting the well-known Chilean poet Nicanor Parra, Alejandra Pérez López uses the beauty of the female physiognomy and Renaissance aesthetics to narrate the perfection of Mother Nature, now seriously threatened by the presence of man. The artist wants to remind us of the importance of the inseparable bond we have with Nature, to try to awaken in each of us the will and the need to respect her. We live surrounded by its wonders, well aware of the suffering we are causing it, and yet we continue to pollute and abuse it. There are responsibilities that mankind has to take in order to put right the horrors that he has caused and that prevent us from living a healthy life, from seeing a clear landscape and enjoying the true fruits of the earth once again. Alejandra Pérez López's art is nothing but a reminder to respect and listen to what has created us and what is alive around us.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Alejandra Pérez López
El error consistió en creer que la tierra era nuestra
Alin Sookezian
Impactful paintings are the ones that the artist Alin Sookezian exhibits for the ‘F**K U’ exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery. Full of strength colours and of spontaneous and impulsive traits the five pieces hide deep meanings explained also through the titles themselves. Each of them represents something felt by the artist herself and they reflect her aim to reach the viewers’ attention. Dark in their atmosphere the artworks are made up, in their major part, of black spots and lines here and there symbolizing the negative aspect while on the background some shine colours are trying to come out fighting for their freedom and so in search of positivity as in ‘The Explosion of darkness’ and ‘Sentimental Value’. These two paintings show the power of the negative elements that characterize the canvas, highlighting the importance of some secondary symbolic details: the little eyes drawn here and there in the background are an allusion to society and its role in the lives of humans' lives. In ‘Sentimental Value’ the attention is focused on the feminine bodies occupying the canvas, realized with black and soft lines. The theme of the aesthetic appearance is debated here using furious brushstrokes that animated the whole scene. Clearer in their resolution are ‘Desiderium’, where only two fluid and black lines divide the scene into two parts: the upper one representing the human’s world, where stylized human beings seem to fluctuate into a small space, and the lower one inhabited by some monstrous figures, the personification of the contemporary society. The same concept and the same subjects are recalled in ‘Squawk of life’ in which the conflict between the main characters of the piece, the monster on the upper right corner and the figure on the left low corner, shows the storm of power against the imposition given by the society. As a sort of final piece, ‘The pressure of truth’ focuses its attention on the central red ball around which some eyes and a big hand fluctuate. With its shiny colour and its white background, this artwork is what, for the artist herself, represents the arrival scene and so, the one that best reflects the concept of the whole work: to believe in humans’ and to fight for our beliefs.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Alin Sookezian
The Explosion of Darkness
Alin Sookezian
Sentimental Value
Alin Sookezian
Desiderium
Alin Sookezian
Squawk of life
Alin Sookezian
The pressure of truth
Ana Delgado “Art is not what you see but what you make others see”. (Edgar Degas)
Ana Delgado's artworks are a transposition of her thoughts and her being; colorful, unpredictable, and always evolving. From her painting, formed by fluid and sinuous lines, we can capture her personality traits to discover a new world dominated by colors and poetry. Painting thus becomes a personal story, a transposition of emotions on the canvas that leads us to stop and look inside us to discover ourselves. We are able to stop for a moment, we move away from our constantly moving reality and savor the colors and flavors that her works produce in us. Her works are imbued with realism, proposed as the ability to photograph the reality that each of us experiences every day. The combination of different artistic forms and shades make her drawings a vibrant communicative force. In her drawings we perceive the inspiration of great painters such as Jackson Pollock and Vasil’evič Kandinskij. Ana becomes the bearer of a language made up of lines and colors that find inspiration in sensations and become the expression of her experience of herself. Each color carries a message associated with a sensation that overwhelms the observer. We can imagine the artist immersed in her studio, inspired by contemporary music as she studies herself and has her hand guided on the canvas by the emotions she feels, by the sensations she receives from the external environment, lulled by the sound of musical notes. Ana communicated to paint when she was a teenager to face her parents' divorce struggle, drawing was the necessary means that helped her to overcome this moment, a means in which she channeled sadness and uncertainty to build a whole space for herself. his. Also inspired by external elements such as nature, flowers and people, pushed to express the passion for colors and beauty, she finds her corner of peace in painting that helps her to express her deepest feelings and that is why her drawings also affect us, they allow us to look into our interior but also to look far away. The combination of shapes and colors creates an intimacy feeling that causes a strong emotional response capable of evoking feelings and sensations capable of involving and overwhelming the observer's gaze.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Ana Delgado
Barely Ballet
Ana Delgado
Day Dreaming
Ana Delgado
Bright Universe
Anastassia Loukachevitch
Anastassia's art is the representation of her emotions and life experiences. Her art of hers combines abstractionism and figurative art, to create unique works of their kind. Her emotions are represented through the use of bright colors, always present in her works. Each work is different from the other and has a very specific meaning. In the work "La distruzione“ the artist represents small colored pieces that dissapere in a white cloud. The pieces represent the goals that each one reaches with difficulty and the fragility of the latter to crumble after a traumatic or an unexpected event, without being able to intervene. It is not a painting that conveys sad feelings, the viewer finds himself in front of a canvas full of colors.
Anastassia Loukachevitch
The artist wants to put us in front of the reality of life, which at times can be hard but we must continue to move forward and rebuild new pieces. The work "La donna" represents a female nude wrapped in bright colors. For the artist, colors are a symbol of joy, happiness and good humor. A happy woman is a beautiful and invincible woman. Quoting Oriana Fallaci: "Being a woman is an adventure that requires such courage, a challenge that is never boring." The woman painted by Anastassia is a free woman, her naked body is sensual and pure at the same time, far from the stereotypes that women are subjected to every day. This painting is a tribute to all women and an exhortation to believe more in their strength and courage, because they can do everything.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Anastassia Loukachevitch
La distruzione
Anastassia Loukachevitch
La donna
Andrea Sheasby "... and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that's not enough, what's enough." (Vincent Van Gogh)
The artistic poetics of Andrea Sheasby, introspective and profound, are intimately connected to the artist's own experience. Art is what the artist clung to during his recovery from chronic depression and anxiety, revealing himself to be a real lifeline. And this is how the natural world that surrounds us takes on the features of the artist's inner world, a colorful, energetic world that transmits all the inner strength and energy. A world that screams who Andrea Sheasby is and where he can go. A palette of bright colors gives shape to the artist's emotions, emotions that could be in themselves contrasting with the tranquility and calm that, instead, emanate from the works of art. "Cloudcast #0 - a numinosity" reflects the artist's entire experience, reproduced here through more or less strong brushstrokes laid on the canvas in different directions, with a reference to a desire for inner peace and tranquility, given by soft colors.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Andrea Sheasby
Cloudcast #0 - a numinosity
Andrea Touché “What makes night within us may leave stars.” (Victor Hugo)
On a golden and brilliant background, the Mexican artist Andrea Touché represents a woman, an astronaut elegantly dressed in an olive-green suit covered with sinuous folds with light-dark shades. She holds in her left arm the astronaut's helmet where planets, stars and spacecraft meet among colorful galaxies and where the viewer can travel with the mind and fantasize in infinite space. The character seems to move slowly with her right leg forward and her head upwards weighed down by a huge octopus. The sinuous gesticulating tentacles block the entire torso of the figure in a nerve-wracking and suffocating embrace. An ancient symbol in the art world, this inhabitant of the deep sea strikes the imagination. Messenger of the abyss, the octopus turns out to be the image of a dark and deep world that has always frightened, in fact from the title of the artwork Devil in Me it can be hypothesized that the artist considers the marine animal a devil who torments her thoughts. The octopus captures the viewer's gaze by hypnotizing him with his large golden and black eye. The artwork symbolizes the small negative part that we all possess, a dark side that we can illuminate with a colorful and bright journey through space in search of the best version of ourselves.
Art Curator Marina Maggiore
Andrea Touché
Devil in Me
Andreas Angleitner
Andreas Angleitner is an artist living in Wels, Austria. Andreas's artistic expression finds maximum inspiration in the current of abstract expressionism, in artists such as Joan Mitchell, Philip Guston (for example in relation to the work "ZONA"), but the works of art by Angleitner, such as the artist argues, find great inspiration in contemporary abstract artists such as Robert Süess, Gabriele Musebrink and Gabriele Middelmann. On the occasion of the exhibition "F ** K U", organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, Angleitner exhibits a triptych of works with an ethereal, romantic and timeless atmosphere. "Candy Grass" is reminiscent of the works of Cy Tombly for some elements, note the long vertical lines that run through the entire work. The artist's use of the materials gives him the power to make the work alive, lived-in and full of details, no line is alike and the wood is unique in its being in every small part. The creation of "Sanftmut" recalls the glazing painting, an extremely decorative work of art, expresses a profound aesthetic taste and great attention to detail, underlining the artist's awareness in the choice of materials and supports, this provides a great emotional power at the work from which an important magnetism arises, the great amount of detail captures the observer who feels transported by all the inlets, cracks, lines and shapes. This also happens in "Tarantel" whose construction technique is different from the previous two. The work seems to be made to be observed from right to left. The colors are deep, perfectly united by a perfectly calibrated coherence. Andreas Angleinter is therefore an extremely fascinating artist from a technical and communicative point of view.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Andreas Angleitner
Candy Grass
Andreas Angleitner
Sanftmut
Andreas Angleitner
Tarantel
Angelica Keiskei
An explosion of life stands out before our eyes. The vital spark vibrates, quivers, unwinds within the saturated color; it creeps into the pigment to reveal itself to our gaze. A heart, more than one; a butterfly. Symbols, archetypes, images carrying meanings that our memory can remember, that our mind can imagine. The heart, an organ considered by Aristotle as the center of "feeling" of the human being, the area of the body where all sensations and emotions are created and conveyed. And perhaps, in the works of Angelica Keiskei it is just like that. The warm heart, pulsating, full of life and giving life. The organ that transforms its matter and becomes light when we are happy, when we feel loved and love ourselves. The organ that hurts, that breaks, that destroys itself under the blows of worries when our soul is in pieces. Catchphrases? Common imagery? Yet we, inside our chests, feel the heart transform every time we change mood, every time our bodies sense a change in sensation. And so it is that the physiognomy of a red heart stands out on the support. Its expressive power is such that it emanates an emotional aura throughout the space of representation. It is not an aseptic heart, it is not a stylized and minimal form. It is a blood heart that seems to pulsate. Inside, like threadlike muscular tissues, there are reliefs of color that give the heart that spark of life. These reliefs are determined by an extremely dense and saturated color applied through molding on the support. There is no area without color, every point of the representative space is saturated with color. A color that turns from bright red to pink and then falls into burgundy, a dark color highly sanguine that reminds us of the corporal nature of the element represented. Angelica Keiskei elaborates symbols, reinvents them and gives them a new essence. In "The heart knows everything" she takes up the words of Aristotle, suggesting that the heart is the center of sensation, of instinct. In "Destruction of inertia" the heart becomes an instrument and at the same time a testimony of the strength of mind that is hidden in the artist's ego, regardless of the external world and how it changes, even suddenly. Angelica is firm, steady; as is that heart rich in saturated color printed on the support. And the butterfly? This too is an archetype. "Transformation" is a hymn to discover the new self, to break with the past if it should be an impediment to look at the bright future. Angelica has finally emerged from the chrysalis and now hovers facing the sun, the bright future.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Angelica Keiskei
The heart knows everything
Angelica Keiskei
Destruction of inertia
Angelica Keiskei
Transformation
Annette Drejer “When German soldiers used to come to my studio and look at my pictures of Guernica, they'd ask 'Did you do this?'. And I'd say, 'No, you did." (Pablo Picasso) Annette Drejer is a self taught artist and programmer. For her, painting is a necessary and complementary action to her day job. For her, painting and art are the only way she can afford to lose control. Spots of color like clouds in the landscape that intersect with these very strong reds that sometimes seem to come from a smoke bomb thrown by the artist with the intent to call order, attention. Drejer's paintings look like the leftovers of a civil battle that has just taken place. It is clear that the artist's emotions are reported almost faithfully on canvas, an internal fight of the soul that is mirrored on the pictorial surface and bounces back to the viewer. The many elements present in these pictures give the idea of a landscape that needs to be recovered, restructured, arranged. Through the work of the artist that moment between the great battle and reconstruction is framed. We can think of these expressive abstract paintings as an emotional pre-Renaissance, fundamental to opening the door to flourishing. It is through art that artists force the audience into a deep aesthetic catharsis that has the potential to lead to a profound move in their own lives.The colors chosen by the author reveal the purely emotional and gestural intention. She paints with her belly, where passion resides, where everything that happens in her life settles. An imaginary escape route that, however, uses the immersion of the most emotional, strongest moment. Escape is not to be understood as avoidance but as necessary to stay.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Annette Drejer
Festival
Annette Drejer
Burning_Red
Annette Drejer
Deep_Blue
Antonio Mora My originality takes root in combinations that leave in the palate of our conscience flavors of evocation and mystery. Images that open a crack to watch the hybrid beings who populate our deepest dreams (Antonio Mora) Antonio Mora gives back, through his images, his deep knowledge of the human mind deriving from his studies in Psychology and Philology. At the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S. he shows his Arequipa, Penelope, The beauty of chaos. Antonio uses a precise and refined technique some photoshop tools that allow you to blur the boundaries between two overlapping images, gets faces mixed with landscapes and architecture and makes them completely new and original. His style, for this reason, is recognizable, unique, personal but universal. His images belong to a parallel universe that can be approached to that of dreams. Elements of reality, mixed so magically create a spatial gateway into the unknown. He creates hybrid beings, mythological tints and endowed with a hypnotic beauty that reaches the most intimate essence that unites human beings of different cultures, societies, religions...About his artworks, the artits says “My work is about the search for beauty in all its forms and penetrate the most intimate of the human soul. That is why I always use portraits in my compositions because when the face is hybridized with diverse situations, I reach the emotions that I intend to convey to the viewer. The forgotten memories, the nostalgia, the chaos". His faces are characterized and shaped by the selected theme, the artist's aesthetic taste and his instincts. The architectures, the landscapes, the chaos represent the inner world of the immortalized faces, their interiority, the real, dreamlike, imaginary universes that each one of us has inside and to which the artist is able to give shape.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Antonio Mora
Arequipa
Antonio Mora
Penelope
Antonio Mora
The beauty of chaos
Arkadi Tedresaar
The freedom to be who you are, as you are, without thinking about how the society wants you to be, with its imposed rules. Physical appearance has always been a delicate argument and the artist Arkadi, for this exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art gallery has decided to bring his point of view through his emotional art. All the paintings here exhibited, realized in acrylic on canvas are created with a delicate movement of the brushstroke, giving to the pieces that dynamicity that can be interpreted as the thoughts of the subjects depicted that flying away give more space to the self-confidence. Three bodies descripted in three different ways are the main characters of these artworks: ‘Virgin’ seems to almost confound with the background, a coloured contour defines the body’s features while, numerous white lines, reminiscent of tears and unknown emotions, are falling from what seems to be a decayed night gown. This act of removing the indument can be symbolically interpreted as the acquisition of self-confidence by the subject represented. The same behavior of feeling confident with herself is something represented also in ‘Peep Show’. This time, the subject and main character of the piece is depicted while having a performance, maybe in a theater. Less soft; with shiner colours, defined and fragmentary lines is the body of the female figure. Her pose is significant, and it is evoked by the man in ‘F**K U’. As a sort of final scene, the painting represents the manifest of this important topic. Here, for the first time, it is visible the face of the character depicted. What is symbolic and important to see, is the haughty behavior given by the pose of the mouth.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Arkadi Tedresaar
Virgin
Arkadi Tedresaar
Peeep Show
Arkadi Tedresaar
F**K U
Astrid Hutengs “Freedom in art, freedom in society, this is the double goal towards which all consistent and logical minds must strive.” (Victor Hugo) Astrid Hutengs' works contain that dreamy force with which the artist has changed her life. A decision to dedicate herself to art in a complete way, which amply describes which are the emotional propensities of her ego and which can therefore be the sentimental drives that move her work. The importance of being oneself and the representation of emotions. For Hutengs illustrating all emotions is crucial, fear, anger, love. She connects what the body shows with what the mind and heart feels, gives space to these feelings and visually places them in an emotional landscape context. Two figures, perhaps lovers, perhaps the same person in a moment of dreaming, a gaze directed directly at the viewer, the necklace screaming RIGHT. Everything in this poetic painting communicates the pride of being true to one's self, the claim of what one is without fear but with determination. The yellows used in this painting definitely give a challenging effect to the human eye, yellow considers the sun as a reference point and in this case the sun is just her, or us if you want. In this case the pencil scratches not only marks the surface, it expresses and fixes through an apparent and apparently erasable light line, what cannot be changed or eliminated by anyone. The pencil is the first helper of the artist's hand, it is an expansion of the painter's body and therefore, one of the most sincere means.With few tools and the simplicity of the artist's choices, the message is as clear as the title, "Just Right", it is what it is and I have the right to it.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Astrid Hutengs
Just right
Aurore Phipps AKA PURAPARI
Aurore Phipps AKA PURAPARI is an artist living in France, born as a self-taught painter, the artist now focuses on digital art with the intention of bridging the gap between realism and abstractionism through surrealism and the use of very bright colors. PURAPARI is again the guest of an exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of “F ** K U”, she exhibits two metaphorical and very powerful works from an evocative and communicative point of view. "I Will Step On You" has elements that make it a contrasting work, the background in which the perspective is completely canceled, turns out to be flat and devoid of depth,
Aurore Phipps AKA PURAPARI
is in stark contrast to the subject of the work, the foot, in fact of purple color representing the surreal element. The metaphor of the work is evident and does not require profound interpretations, but on the contrary, the artist is extremely direct in conveying the message she desires. "I Can't Be Bothered" is a fascinating and ironic work, the artist expresses a moment of relaxation of the woman, who always represented in a surreal way with purple skin, rises above all socially accepted schemes and eliminating the differences that I can come of it. The works of art created by PURAPARI lead the observer to a deeper and more reasoned reflection, a more intimate and controversial reflection.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Aurore Phipps AKA PURAPARI
I Will Step On You
Aurore Phipps AKA PURAPARI
Can't Be Bothered
Ava Chiba "Art is a line around your thoughts." (Gustave Klimt)
Ava Chiba is an extremely talented Austrian painter who creates original and decorative artworks. Sensitivity and delicacy are certainly her distinguishing features. She paints the world through the filter of beauty, simplicity and authenticity with decorative techniques, precise lines and a wise choice of colours. Ava leaves nothing to chance, manages shapes and investigates the best colour combinations. She structures her paintings to reflect the harmony and order of the universe. The feelings of peace and serenity are perceptible, and it is impossible not to feel a sense of calm when looking at her creations. The themes he paints often refer to nature, its colours, elements and energy. In her work ''Divine Flow'' she tells a real story. The artist shows the viewer a path, including a visual one, through which to read the artwork. An infinite flow, life that manifests itself in all its power, overwhelming everything. Different types of flowers alternate and are distinguished by their colour. Against a blue background with blue and green hues, Ava creates animal figures using fine, precise and elegant brushstrokes. The shapes merge delicately. Every part of the canvas has a thousand details to be discovered. One also seems to smell the fresh scent of pink flowers, whose sinuous petals give movement and rhythm. Small yellow flowers accompany the flow, supporting and enriching it. The delicacy and accuracy with which Ava is able to capture the beauty of the universe is overwhelming. The bright but at the same time subtle and unobtrusive colours create an atmosphere of peace and introspection. The painting is a clear invitation from the artist to let go of all superficial and negative things, reconnecting with the natural world and our inner world. We need to eliminate negative thoughts and focus on positive ones, taking inspiration from the beauty that nature offers us every day. Ava paints with an extreme mastery of technique, unfolding the artwork in a dreamy and imaginative atmosphere. She has a personal and recognisable style that is extremely intriguing. Everything contributes to creating a balance. The artist's desire to refer to spiritual philosophy and the glorious manifestation of the divine is evident. She creates elegant forms, engages the viewer and makes him feel part of something, part of the energetic and vital flow of the world.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Ava Chiba
Divine Flow
Ayako Sugita Ayako Sugita is a young Japanese artist of obvious talent. Her creations have an overwhelming visual and emotional impact. Her passion and vital energy are evident in the colourful explosions of her artworks. The marks she leaves on the canvas are perceptible, obvious and sinuous. They create an energetic dance, contrasting with the flat outlines of the backgrounds. Bright, vivid and luminous colours interlock with each other to create colour games. In the painting 'I want to live', her painting technique and creative process is evident. It clearly shows an inner chaos, a storm of emotions, doubts, questions and fears that can subjectively reflect on each of us. Ayako starts from an inner feeling and makes it a universal concept through the language of art. Against a bright yellow background, a storm rises vertically, sweeping away everything around it. The artist has been able to channel negative feelings into something positive, a fascinating and intriguing painting. A cry that comes from the depths of the soul and comes to life through instinctive, spontaneous and energetic brushstrokes. It is impossible not to get involved in this emotional whirlwind that fascinates the viewer and leads him to ask himself profound questions. The use of colour contrasts is interesting, with the alternation of black and white certainly prevailing. The work is full of dynamism and movement. Every corner is pervaded by details to be discovered and investigated. The artist uses sinuous lines to envelop and create shapes, while thinner brushstrokes give speed, rhythm and create contours. An abstract artwork that contains an infinity of emotions that every man manifests within himself. The artist invites the viewer not to remain silent, to manifest them, so as to channel them and create something positive, helping to heal the soul and grow as an individual.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Ayako Sugita
I want to live
Bas Wouters In our mind, every day, images are created, which are our memories, our sensations, our emotions. Sometimes we simply store within us, but sometimes we feel the need to let them free to go out and express themselves. Everyone has their own mode of expression, those that are closest to them and that best suit their way of being. Artists have the gift of transforming these inner images into physical and real images through the creation of their works of art. These images, from the mind, focus directly on the canvas through the gestures of their hands. This is precisely what the artist Bas Wouters creates with his works: an image created in the mind carried on the canvas in a continuous story. Emotions and thoughts are transformed into images: images that are able to tell stories, memories and moods. Some symbols are recurrent in Bas's works, which we can also see in the works presented here. In the work "All is happening" we can see the symbol of the wheel, which for Bas refers to the movement of everything. Indeed, everything, whether it is material or abstract, moves physically or metaphorically in space and time: an object changes ownership or is transformed into something else, an opinion can change over time, a feeling can evolve and transform, one memory may vanish while another is being created. Yes, because, as the title of the work itself states, all this is happening right now, everything moves and sometimes changes around us. In the work "Once was" we see instead represented the symbol of the candlestick which for the artist has a really profound meaning: it refers to the ability of people to bring light and connect with others. In fact, it sometimes happens to meet people who more than others really know how to illuminate our lives, the lives of anyone they meet, even through their presence alone, because they have the innate ability to bring joy and serenity. Their way of being pure and their empathy brighten even the darkest days. Finally, in the last work presented here we can admire the representation of the symbol of the bone structure, which for Bas represents the will to see what is essential. Just as the bones, inside our body, are essential because they protect our most delicate parts which are vital for our survival, so each of us should understand what is essential for him, what makes him what he is and protect him, keep it in the most intimate and profound part of oneself. Understanding what is essential for oneself, but above all for others, is the basis of sharing and mutual respect. In the artist's works, the energy of color and brushstroke contrast with the delicacy of the story and the representation of a sensation, while creating a visual and emotional harmony. Each artist's work allows to add a small piece to the story that he wants to tell through his works.
Art Curator Silvia Grassi
Bas Wouters
All is happening
Bas Wouters
Once was
Bas Wouters
Untitled
Beard Bates Beard Bates is an American artist, trained at the London Consortium Doctoral Program. He's a very prolific artist who produces works on canvas, installations and digital works. In all his production, his art is based on abstraction. For the exhibition "F**K U" at the MADS Art Gallery, the artist presents a digital animated work titled "//44 Deus Ex Machina". In this video work Beard uses static forms making them abstract that appear electric in relation to each other. Like the artist said, the work represents the pervasive spirit that is evident in the inanimate shapes and electricity. The dramatic ambient represents also the progression of birthing, living and expiration with a cyclical return to a beginning. This work is a metaphor for mortal life, the forms moving through the rise and fall just like each of us do in our life, in which we find ourselves. The artwork questions life experience in a dramatic way through a dematerialization of the artistic object. Fundamental in this work is the particular relationship of the video with the sound dimension: music, created by the artist himself, helps to increase the tension while watching. In the video the sound comes from the same source, they are both tensions and frequencies. The artist uses the new medium of video art to express his interiority. He uses it for a precise purposes of meaning. His ability to intervene on reality and his perception of it translates into an abstract but immediate scenario in the spatter, which reaches straight to the point of the viewer's intimacy.
“Art is not just about another beautiful painting that matches your dining room floor. Art has to be disturbing, art has to ask a question, art has to predict the future.” (Marina Abramović)
Art Curator Federica Acciarino
Beard Bates
//44 Deus Ex Machina
Beatrice Costa
Beatrice Costa is an Italian artist who has always been attracted to fragmentary images that can be collected and combined to create new figures and tell new stories. From this inclination of her comes her passion for the collage technique. With the help of scissors she cuts out figures from newspapers, fashion magazines and encyclopedias, giving them new life. The main subjects are the female parts: legs, hands and arms come together and merge, sometimes to reconstruct an entire figure, other times they replace other subjects, totally changing their meaning. Her works are inspired by the current of Dadaism and Surrealism of the 20th century, which aimed at the elimination of any rational scheme. Dadaist artists did not copy reality but proposed new forms of expression through the use of common objects. In particular, Beatrice Costa's art is very close to the works of Hannah Höch, pioneer of photomontage, belonging to the Dada group of Berlin, who used her art to criticize the Weimar Republic and the social roles imposed on women.
Beatrice Costa
In her first collage "Caesar" the protagonist is a Roman bust with strong features. The female hands cover part of the base and the face, but they are not hands, they are the symbolic representation of leaves and flowers. Above left, the image of a wire mesh breaks the balance of the design, creating a state of tension. The "Kiss and Tell" collage, like the one in a confused dream, features doors, fabrics, hands, faces, all united in a single representation. In the center is a woman's face created with various images. Her femininity is accentuated by black lace and white silk. A hand protrudes from the door next to her face. Who will be there?, will have good or bad intentions, here too there are feelings of expectation and anguish. The artist lets herself be carried away by her unconscious emotions, her dreams and her fears, she does not try to please the public, but her desires.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Beatrice Costa
Caesar
Beatrice Costa
Kiss and Tell
Ben Teufel
There is a playful intention in the title of this artwork. Judging only by it, one might anticipate a different representation, a sweet, childish one. In fact, the artwork is quite the opposite. It is bold, alluring, aggressive. The kitty is rather a vicious feline, with a piercing look, unexpected horns and a snake-like tongue. Even the black coat, with bright green highlights, adds a malicious note to the cat's figure. The figure is repeated four times, in each angle of the artwork. The lollipop too recurs four times, but on the other lines of symmetry. All the four resulting lollipops are of a streaked green, vivid against the underneath red, its complementary colour. Enigmatic pink dots cluster above the lollies, which intersect a central mouth, glossy and voluptuous. The lips are holding a heart-shaped candy, with “LOVE” inscribed on it. In the upper and lower part of the artwork, opened, violet lips seem to be about to lick two of the lollipops. The whole digital design is crossed by psychedelic bands, red and purple, straight and curved. Everything against a greenish, blurred background. All the main elements are therefore disposed in a symmetric and orderly arrangement, creating a mirroring system. However, this neat disposition clashes with the boldness of the subject-matter, creating a powerful surrealistic ensemble. Each figure inevitably carries with it its metaphorical meaning, causing a tangle of free associations that entraps the viewers and leaves them puzzled. But the main concept behind the artwork is certain: it is love. It is not that simple, though. The associations suggest its intoxicating, poisonous power, its dangerous nature. Still, dangerous as it may be, one truth is not denied: love’s inexorably tempting, attractive force.
Art Curator Ludovica Petracca
Ben Teufel
Kitty Candy Lollipop Love
Benzane Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. (Oscar Wilde)
Being yourself is not always a natural thing. More often than not it is the result of frustrations, doubts, struggles and conquests. It is a voice in the head that can no longer be ignored and that demands to be expressed. For Benzane, art is the perfect tool to achieve this courageous goal, and it claims its uniqueness thanks to an irresistible creative energy. The work presented on the occasion of the F**K U exhibition entitled You Don't Know ME: Fuck You - fully shows the artist's desire to let his most authentic and true side emerge, without filters or caution. Benzane, with his ability to combine photographic elements with graphic elements - puts his portrait at the center of the composition, and outlines himself with an intense expression. Around his figure, the artist has superimposed phrases and words that summarize his inner path, which led him to a strong self-determination. Benzane places before the eyes of the observer the loneliness of those who are criticized and vilified by the opinion of others and shatters it piece by piece, transforming it into the true engine of artistic inspiration. The artist shakes the mind of the beholder with the cry of those who have felt inadequate for too long, and invites them to welcome pain and sadness as a goal that allows them to find new vital and creative lymph. The message conveyed by the work is a resounding response to a homologated and conformist society, which rejects those who try to find an autonomous mode of expression and for this reason judges them, mocks them, hurts them by trying to crush them. Benzane's art affirms the freedom to simply be oneself, a vibrant teaching that communicates a contagious desire to challenge the limiting conventions of a soulless world.
I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. (Maya Angelou)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Benzane
You don't know me: Fuck You
Bex Wilkinson
Bex Wilkinson is an internationally recognized artist who is a regular guest of the exhibitions organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of “F ** K U” she exhibits two works that are profoundly interesting from a stylistic point of view and from a communicative point of view. "Tear"is a work with an evident inspiration deriving from abstract expressionism, in particular with the work of Bernett Newman "Onement I". The work represents an orbital-like structure that seems to remember the sun, but also a planet that is close to melting, but not only that, the drops represented also seem to be the tears that humanity cries due to global warming. The city, in the lower part of the work, is represented with dark colors reminiscent of mud, as if to indicate its pollution and the cause for a dying world.
Bex Wilkinson
The artist herself explains "The city like structure in the foreground is a dense urban heating landscape.". "The Ultimate 69" is a reversible work, in fact it is possible to observe it from both perspectives, but above all, the specularity makes it a totally avant-garde work full of charm. "The Ultimate 69" is a particularly introspective work, the dualism of life and death is represented as two sides of the same coin. The lower part of the work is a self-portrait of the artist wearing a mask that wants to indicate the transience of life thanks to the combination with the skull. The artist tells "... It also is a commentary about the fine line that we walk with Death each and every day of our lives, and our" ultimate "inevitable dance with mortality that we negotiate every day we are alive."
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Bex Wilkinson
Tear
Bex Wilkinson
The Ultimate 69
Birte Hella Make the most of yourself... For that is all there is of you.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Birte Hella is a talented visual artist residing in Canada. Her artistic career began in her youth, marked by the influence of Canadian landscape painters and European Expressionism, and then developed over the years into a very personal and unique style, both in technique and in content. Birte's experimental nature, in fact, led her to range with ease from drawing to oil painting, up to digital creations, demonstrating an extremely versatile talent. But perhaps the most engaging aspect lies in the themes of the works, pure expressions of archetypal forms and symbols, real metaphors in which to immerse oneself. The works presented on the occasion of F**K U are some examples of this extraordinary stylistic and semantic union, starting with Following Alice down the rabbit hole. The digital work depicts the power of a piercing cry, which shocks the face in an expression of excruciating anguish, addressed directly to the observer. The contrasting chromatic choice underlines the burning feelings of anger, fear and anxiety that move the course of the composition. The artist represents in a cruelly direct way the individual's struggle against her own frailties, face to face with the deepest abyss. In Face Forward, Spring Mood Self Portrait the atmosphere changes radically, and induces the gaze to caress the shades of yellow, green and red acrylic that outline the features of the artist herself. The work is the result of a reworking of a self-portrait created in 2017, and modified during 2021, to testify to a profound interior change, due to the severe period of the pandemic, which however, after the most difficult months, reveals warm notes of hope. The reflection on the pandemic is also present in Self Portrait Sketch, Second last day of 2021, Dec. 30th. The artwork is part of a larger project, consisting of 23 images that portray the artist day by day, to "witness" the emotional and intimate change that results in facial expressions. In an external world that seems annihilated by illness, the artist turns to the study of herself, one of the few fixed points in the midst of the surrounding chaos. Birte Hella attests on the canvas her own journey of inner discovery, and carries on reflections on the transience of life and the passing of time that rise to a universal level thanks to the eloquent silence of her art.
Were it not for the leaping and twinkling of the soul, man would rot away in his greatest passion, idleness. (C.G. Jung)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Birte Hella
Following Alice down the rabbit hole
Birte Hella
Face Forward, Spring Mood Self Portrait
Birte Hella
Self Portrait Sketch, Second last day of 2021, Dec. 30th
Bleen Everything you can imagine is real. (Pablo Picasso) The representation of sacred images, in frescoes, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, of artists belonging to different historical periods and artistic currents, are known and fixed in the collective knowledge, experts and not. But what happens if you break the classical compositional and structural schemes and create a new perspective by relating elements outside their context? As we see in the works of Bleen, who puts together works and images known with elements that come from the natural and animal world, through his training as a biologist, he is inspired by them, creating surrealist collages that transport the viewers into a new dimensions, which provide to his compositions a mysterious and often threatening atmosphere. In the digital work, «Le dieu dormant», created with the manipulation of images and paintings, some from the church of Saint Charles in Vienna, the artist revisits the iconography of a coronation in the sky: the light, positioned high and in the center, gives an ethereal air to the composition, underlined by the circular movement of clouds and angels and cherubs, who are portrayed in the action of bringing and helping the ascent of subject, framing and surrounding it, a human skull, which can fit harmoniously with everything. You can notice details that provide a connection with reality. From the metal cover of the teeth, that give a shine and contemporary effect, to the cavity of the nose, more central, which assumes the appearance of a place of worship, accentuated by the presence of the candles. Passing through the cavity of the eyes, where, in the darkness you can glimpse the muscle tissue of the eyes—closed—this opens a reflection on the material body that decomposes and the spiritual one that is reached. Other elements that stand out are the piercing on the nasal bones and the three nails pinned down on the head, which lead to an analysis and knowledge of the character that is represented, outside the classical canons on which the representations of the past were based. The influence of having raised in a Catholic family is evident in the work of Bleen, who through his art seeks to visually conceptualize the teachings received, leading to a study of how life forms can morph in an unexpected way. Creating these surreal scenarios, the artist invites his viewers to create a connection between this world where they don't belong and their own experiences, emotions, thoughts that derive from it.
The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens (Rainer Maria Rilke)
Art Curator Alessia Procopio
Bleen
Le dieu dormant
Bonnie Lee
CBonnie Lee is a minimalist contemporary sculpture artist and she is self taught. She was born in 1984 and grew up on the NSW coast; today she lives in Newcastle, Australia. Bonnie Lee's artwork is based on her personal story, through childhood and with a magnifying glass examines her past and her most significant moments. Her minimalist art reflects the calm and stillness of childhood through the neat and clean spaces. In her art, the elements are few: simple lines, fewer colors, for a balanced work of art. Bonnie Lee says "Minimalistic artwork aligns with my desire for a simpler life - lessbusyness, less insignificant stuff, deeper connections and more stillness and quiet." She believes that minimalist art can bring calm to the environments we live in, in fact Bonnie Lee's art is intended to bring peace, tranquility and serenity into everyone's hectic daily life. Her minimalist work is called "Ataraxia". Ataraxia is an ancient Greek philosophy and literally means "serene state of calm, emotional tranquility, serene condition". The tranquility represented in this artwork is that of the ocean waves of Australia. The constant flow of the waves, the smell of the light ocean breeze, the light blowing wind, create a state of calm and a relaxed state of mind. The white color is synonymous with purity, balance and harmony. White is also the color of the foam created by the waves when the sea is rough. The calm but at the same time impetuous waves of the ocean are like the emotions we all feel throughout life. The ocean can be very rough on the surface but at the same time calm in the depths. Observing this work of art you can feel the emotion that the artist herself feels. Ataraxia is tranquility: the tranquility lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and this work of art is used to find the way back and a special peaceful state.
"Minimalist artworks connect to calm and tranquility" (Bonnie Lee)
Art Curator Martina Bassi
Bonnie Lee
Ataraxia
Bowyi
Bowyi is a Korean artist whose artistic passion was shared by her mother, Bowyi is a regular guest of the exhibitions organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of "F ** KU" exhibits two works of art in which the reference to the artist's fil rouge is always present, in fact Bowyi uses, in almost all of his paintings the color black and red, probably as real totems of her art. "F ** K U" is a deeply impacting work that refers to abstract expressionism, especially to the Pacific School, a profound similarity is found with the work "Blast" by Adolf Gottlieb. In this work there is a total absence of definition, the forms are anything but compact and outlined.
Bowyi
"F ** K U" turns out to be an impulsive and powerful piece of art from a communicative point of view, in which elements of action painting are perceived and the intimate essence of the artist who does not make pre-established decisions in the creation but lets herself go to the gestures and momentary expressiveness created by her moods. "How do I look?" Deeply recalls the works of art of Giorgia O'Keeffe, but not only that, the reference to the development of the still life genre, very common in middle-class living rooms of the mid-nineteenth century, is also highlighted. Bowyi explains that the work of art is intended as a warning to those who expose hasty judgments towards people, she draws attention to individuality and asks a rhetorical question "How do I look?".
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Bowyi
F ** K U
Bowyi
How do I look?
BURI The world is upside down. The spatial dimension is totally annulled; the temporal one is confused, it is not possible to perceive a beginning and an end of time. The time line is therefore broken, violated. Elements coming from different historical periods are fused together, glued on the support without escape and without any apparent definition. The same goes for the spatiality: there is no perspective, the difference of planes is not perceived. Our eyes travel forward and backward in the work with extreme ease, without any impediment to our sight. Space and time are cancelled, the world is cancelled and our perception with them. What is it that we find in front of our eyes? Is it possible that a work literally makes us lose our spatial certainties, our firm certainty in time flowing in a straight line? “#404notfound" has the power to make us enter a whole new dimension. A universe that presents the traits of our world but decontextualizes them so violently that we lose our bearings. And so it is that in front of our eyes a heterogeneous collage is revealed, composed of elements of different natures joined together to form new meaning, new purpose of existence. Delicate purple and white flowers act as a curtain to the vision. The memory travels and rests on those color illustrations of the '60s and '70s. Their physiognomy, the remarkable detail, the dull, yellowish color recalls images and drawings of a time gone by. There is something that rises from this flowery meadow. It is a headless Roman statue dressed in military garb and with a toga resting limply on its arm. We have changed the subject; time has changed. From the 1950s we were catapulted to the splendor of ancient Rome in the blink of an eye. Going up higher, we notice the presence of a musical record, a mouth and two big shiny eyes. The statue has a face, but where does its physiognomy come from? The elements, once again, take us back to the century just gone, the century in which music was listened to with a record player and images were still represented through black and white. On the head? On the head, on top of the musical record, a crown. A lavish crown adorned with gold and large emerald gems. It has the appearance of an imperial crown, of those that could be seen a few centuries ago and which are still preserved in the caskets of the few surviving noble dynasties. Behind it, a curtain reminiscent of the luxurious and golden art of Southeast Asia opens the door to the seabed. A psychedelic backdrop that has the virtue of confusing our minds even more. Teal snake-like elements unravel over a dark red backdrop of blackish hues. This is another world, the universe in which space and time have merged into a single plane. Buri, with his irreverent collages wants to represent an "other" reality, a reality in which the recognizable elements are deprived of their historicity, their social and ideological weight. Space and time no longer exist, now they are completely united and this work tells the story.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
BURI
#404notfound
Captain Barboza “Sakura, sakura they fall in the dreams of sleeping beauty” (Yosa Buson)
Roydan Barboza, aka Captain Barboza, a contemporary Emirati artist, uses a language strongly influenced by the surrealist movement of the 1920s to narrate dreamlike worlds in an artistic research that is still in constant evolution. Unpredictable combinations of bright colours make his representations visually deviant, while his canvases are filled with the most disparate characters and subjects. The viewer finds himself enveloped in dreamlike, sometimes disturbing landscapes, searching for a hidden meaning in the myriad of symbols that the artist has scattered throughout the space. In the work entitled "Sakura", we see a number of blue anthropomorphic figures lying on a cherry-coloured watery background, in the grip of an eternal sleep. The word sakura means "cherry blossom" in Japanese and here it is interesting to make a connection with the hanami, the cherry blossom festival. The hanami contains a symbolism that goes beyond mere beauty. In fact, the sakura blossoms and fades in a few days and therefore represents the caducity of life and its fragility, but also the desire to savour every moment. The artist's intention in this work is to explore the theme of immortality, which is so coveted by man, who has undertaken titanic feats to find the solution to eternal beauty, even at the risk of being trapped in an eternal limbo. There are strong references to Dante's Inferno, where souls relegated to their circles are forced to repeat their sins forever. Captain Barboza seems to want to ironically ask the spectator a question: "Is there any point in wanting eternity?". Perhaps it is better to enjoy the moment when beauty shows itself in all its power. To savour the magical moment of blossoming, allowing the emotions it arouses within us to be renewed with the passage of time, thanks precisely to their cyclical transience.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Captain Barboza
Sakura
Cécile Degen
Today we feel the war, we perceive it. It is approaching and we feel poised. We are suspended between terror and hope, uncertainty and restlessness. Around us there is darkness, we see and live the fear of those around us. "War Drums", the sound of war, transmits this atmosphere of anguish. It invests us and transfigures us. The artist, Cécile Degen, starts from this awareness: the world we live in attracts us but at the same time frightens us, inspires us but we are also afraid of it. We are terrified by the gaze of others, we fear judgment and conflict. Cécile Degen uses abstract painting to give life to what dwells in her unconscious: contrasting feelings that sway between the desire for freedom and the fear of the unknown, the terror of abandonment. “War Drums” is a game of "opposites": the brushstrokes, of bright colors, thick, color the canvas, but always surrounded by darkness. And these same brushstrokes cannot escape from the darkness that surrounds them, just like us, who remain trapped in a cage of fear and conflict.
We are always fascinated by emptiness. The deeper it is, the darker it is, the more it attracts us: a mysterious call of love. (Oriana Fallaci) Art Curator Matilde Grossi
Cécile Degen
War Drums
Christine Bent “ I assumed that everything must yield to me, that the entire universe had to flatter my whims, and that I had the right to satisfy them at will.” (Marquis De Sade)
Powerful and loud. In front of Christine Bent's paintings one has the impression of observing the reverberation of water caused by a stone thrown by us. The movement of the drops and then circles constantly changes creating new images and new magic formulas specific to that moment. The artist here shows a lively, vibrant body of work of different sizes. Painting itself and its final product can be seen as a talisman but also as something to be read and interpreted while waiting for the premonitory revelation, like the leftovers of coffee in a cup. Playing with suppositions while enjoying the form, we can think of an artist at the height of her adolescent emotionality, a chaos of very strong and bursting sensations that cannot help but come out all at once and overlap each other without a precise direction and in all their beauty. The genuineness of these pastel colors take us back to an ethereal dimension of a young heart discovering the human universe with no fear and zero fucks of possible consequences. Grids and tangles of very dense nets are formed almost to contain those irrepressible and noisy feelings. In other forms they become soft, organic-looking blobs that seem to escape any attempt to grip them. Each way the attractiveness is major. That unstoppable sincere truth that only the purity of the childlike soul can have. So here is the painting, in all its strength to remind us that we live here and now and that nothing matters but everything.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Christine Bent
BigBang
Christine Bent
Cosmic Travel
Christine Bent
Heart of the Cosmos
Christine Bent
Dream Channel
Christine Bent
Supernova
Ciara Corscadden Hennessy “I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” (Georgia O’Keeffe) Ciara Corscadden Hennessy, a contemporary Irish artist, develops her artistic research around the religious themes that have historically characterized the life of her lands. Through a study of Celtic and Romanesque sacred symbols, the artist expresses her thoughts using not only traditional media, but above all photography and performance art. Also linked to the female figure, the role of women in society becomes an integral part of the evolution of her artistic practice, aimed at narrating and defining its historical developments. In the photograph entitled "Expulsion", part of a larger project still in progress, Ciara Corscadden Hennessy depicts the female figure in a context with strong references to the Catholic religion. Wrapped in a white veil, she bites into an apple, while a rosary runs along her wrists. The Rosary Crown is the traditional instrument used in the Christian religion during the recitation of the Holy Rosary, a symbol of the passage of time in the life of every Christian on their path of faith. The representation of the Virgin Mary in this self-portrait, however, is intended to break with the traditional depiction of the chaste and pure woman. In fact, instead of looking upwards in contemplation, her gaze is turned towards the observer as a sign of challenge. Moreover, the apple, in reference to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, is the fruit from the forbidden tree and therefore has always been a symbol linked to sin. Ciara Corscadden Hennessy's intention is to place the female figure in opposition to the role imposed on her historically, creating an analogy with Eve, the one who disobeyed God's orders. The artist wants to elevate the woman in her freedom, from the very beginning inherent in her existence.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Ciara Corscadden Hennessy
Expulsion
Corinna Pernung My passion is to visualise differences and emotions in my art, lift the strength and the beauty in both human and nature. (Corinna Pernung) Corinna Pernung, Sweden artist, tells her own soul through the creation of portraits of female creatures completely different but united by something. “Dreams and Wishes” depicts an ethereal, smiling, and graceful female figure. Looking at her, the viewer realizes that this creature does not seem entirely human. She seems rather a good, peaceful spirit, perhaps a nymph described in some pages of Greek mythology. Her hair sways harmoniously moved by a light wind and the expression on her face conveys peace, serenity, and sweetness. Next to her there is an animal, maybe another spirit, that emanates light from its body and that same light touches the nymph’s forehead. Their souls are smiling and feeling, they listen in a dialogue that is not possible to hear with the ears, but only with the spirit. The artist thus depicts a fairy-tale and enchanted aspect of the feminine soul, the sensitive and fascinating aspect of every woman. “Underneath the Surface” instead tells of another spirit, a spirit more fragile, afraid, and curious. We see only half of a different female face, which observes us with a melancholy look and this time the girl’s eye speaks. This eye communicates something different, it talks about the complexity of the soul, her contradictions, and her fears. The girl does not reveal her face, she doesn’t take a chance of being seen entirely and, if the viewer looks carefully, he realizes that the blue veil that covers her comes from under her hat, perhaps from her head. It is part of her, it is part of her soul, it is the representation of her armour, of her rigidities, of everything that defends her from the cruelty of the world that she wants to discover, however, observing it sheltered from her veil. She looks to us and we are nourished by that look, enchanted, and intrigued by everything she wants to tell. Corinna’s third work is a portrait of a girl with a face illuminated by a thousand colours and different shapes, perhaps the thoughts and emotions she feels and from which she lets herself go through, living everything as a gift, something that embellishes her spirit and that makes her the "Rare Jewel". Using the technique of watercolour and pencil Corinna not only makes portraits of female faces but, through the looks and expressions of these, tells us about the different aspects of the human soul that unite any woman in the world.
Art Curator Sara Giannini
Corinna Pernung
Dreams and Wishes
Corinna Pernung
Underneath the Surface
Corinna Pernung
Rare Jewel
Dabar
Starting to say <<the complexity is beautiful>>. This consideration can be useful to understand the painting presented on the occasion of the international art exhibition F**K U by the artist Dabar. In fact, if we consider the idea of complexity we are soon involved in a vortex of thoughts that belong to reality and how to see the world around us. Maybe it could happen to feel lost in front of this kind of idea. We lose the perception of things around us. At the same time, this artist invites the observer to feel fascinated by the idea of complexity. As if he wants to say to us : << do not get lost and try to affirm yourself in diversity>>. Watching the artwork presented, titled Parallel worlds2, we can see a composition created by different shapes and colours. With the geometry of the forms, the artist wants to tell us about the order in the complexity. In fact in this geometry emerges two defined lines that cut the composition in two parts. In an allegorical way, these two lines remind the idea of two worlds that seem to be different and separated at the same time they are destined to find a meeting point where to get confused in the complexity. That is why complexity is beautiful because it is a pretext to make an encounter with the otherness, the other world and have the opportunity to change our mind, messing up our thoughts, evolving and in this way discovering that we could be better.
Art Elisabetta Eliotropio
Dabar
Parallel worlds2
Daniel Nikolov Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness. (Allen Ginsberg)
Daniel Nikolov's art is characterized by an instinctive and visionary approach, which transports the observer into a fascinating dimension, the expression of an unconscious that emerges during the creative process. The blank canvas thus becomes an extraordinary opportunity to let oneself be led by the most authentic sensations of the moment, without a draft or a precise idea, capturing the very essence of an emotion. This aspect is harmoniously combined with Daniel's experimental nature, which pushes him to create always different combinations of materials and textures, which on the one hand coincides with the diversity of the subjects represented, and on the other hand helps the viewer to approach each work in different way. For example AKASH, one of the works presented for F**K U, immediately projects the gaze into a cosmic dimension, inspired by the Akashic registers. The composition - based on leaden and dark tones - is illuminated by a distant glow, and by small indistinct shapes on the right side of the painting. Although the idea that inspired the creation of the work refers to the journey of astral creatures, the artist still leaves the viewers the freedom to develop their own interpretation, and to recognize a different and personal reality. The same idea is expressed in an even freer form in UNDERWORLD, in which the artist seems to exhort the observer to a proactive role, inducing him - with a blue magnetic background - to imagine his own version of a remote world in which each individual one can come face to face with the most intimate and essential aspects of one's interiority. The choice of the primary colors yellow and red does not seem casual, since they symbolically represent the most ardent passions of the human soul. With UNTITLED, the artist focuses on contrasting colors of acrylic, worked layer by layer, reminiscent of the concept of the sublime in nineteenth-century art, used to describe a beauty so absolute as to be almost frightening. It is no coincidence that the inspiration for the creation of the work came from the extreme landscape of Antarctica, a place as inhospitable as it is able to offer amazing natural spectacles, like a bloody sunset reflected on the water.
You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. (Mark Twain)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Daniel Nikolov
AKASH
Daniel Nikolov
UNDERWORLD
Daniel Nikolov
UNTITLED
Débora Gonçalves "For the understanding of a picture a chair is needed." (Paul Klee)
Débora is a young and original artist of Brazilian origin who now lives and works in Portugal. Art has always been a fundamental part of her life and her passion goes hand in hand with that for the nature that surrounds her. Her creations are energetic, vital. Intense explosions of emotions that overwhelm people's psyches and hearts. It is impossible to ignore them because they contain a not inconsiderable expressive and communicative force. Her concept is clearly evident in her artwork "Earth", a true tribute to mother earth. The pigment is material, three-dimensional, textural. The way Débora distributes it on the canvas, overlapping it, layering it, gives a feeling of something real, tangible. Tangible reality clashes with abstraction and the vulnerability of feelings. The colours are left free to interact with each other, free to create new combinations. The colours chosen are warm, reminiscent of the earth. Browns, reds, oranges and yellows create a frame that encloses a sort of galaxy. In the centre there is a change of tone. The reds turn into snowy pinks and the greens into sky blues. The contrast between the two areas also translates into a change of texture, of surface, of pigment application. This contrast, which echoes that of realityabstraction, is very interesting. Each colour is studied and has a particular meaning. Each is connected to a natural element such as fire, mud, minerals, water, trees and ice. Débora offers an overview of our planet, a kind of bird's-eye view, an account. By painting all this she invites us to preserve it, to emphasise how important and essential its preservation is. Nature is art. Nature reflects us humans. We must protect it, venerate it and seek in it the answers even to existential questions. Débora proves to be a skilled painter, close to current issues, with a fresh and dynamic style. Her artworks overwhelm the viewer with a disruptive energy.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Débora Gonçalves
Earth
Diana Lavrukhina Diana Lavrukhina is an original artist who creates sinuous paintings, pervaded by a gentle and balanced melodic rhythm. The colours of her palette are delicate and help to amplify the positive message of her subjects. Diana is inspired by the life around her. She often chooses to represent social issues. Issues that concern contemporary man, but always using her "Sketchismo" style. This implies the use of soft and delicate silhouettes, refined and elegant coloured colours, refinement in form, in the combination of elements. In "Unity" Diana refers to the magic of unions between people, of human relationships. She chooses a naturalistic subject, turtles, which she renders with a truly surprising realistic technique. The colours and shapes are well studied, as are the structure and arrangement of the elements. The turtles form a sort of cycle, a form that fully represents the word "union". The colours are few but well selected and perfectly harmonious with each other. Blues, greens and browns predominate, all with the same warm undertone. The work exudes a sense of peace and inner calm that leads the viewer to ask questions, to reflect on their human connections. Diana created the painting during Covid's difficult period in which the only thing that kept it from collapsing was the unity between people. Although it was a period that will remain etched in our minds, it highlighted many significant things, unveiled false relationships, underlined the importance of other relationships, strengthened ties that we thought had been lost. The only winning weapon in difficulties is to fight them together. Man alone is not able to overcome obstacles, he needs someone to hold his hand out, he needs to feel part of a community, of a group of people who together overcome adversity. The seven turtles, painted in a naturalistic and studied way, represent the people who fought together during the covid crisis, trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Nurses, patients, men, women. Children who took each other's hands and gave each other strength. The artwork exudes a clear and powerful positive force that illuminates the chaos and darkness of everyday life. Diana sends a message of hope and joy that has universal value. Through brushes and colours she sends a strong message in the way she knows best: art. Art unites people, brings peace, happiness and positivity. All these elements are contained in Diana's artwork.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Diana Lavrukhina
Unity
Dobri Gjurkov
Dobri Gjurkov exposes for the “F**K U” show at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery five works (“Adam & Eva revisited”, “Fleurs Du Mal III”, “Nike (Size L)”, “The Lepidopterologist's Secret”, “Two Ladies III”). Within each, precise topics are covered including archaeology, Christian and French literature and science as well. For example, concerning the religion, this is linked to “Adam & Eve revisited”, where the artist recalls one of Albrecht Dürer's famous engravings (the Original Sin). Dobri represents the statuesque figures of the progenitors, prototypes of a perfect humanity, inserted in a thick and shady wood, rich of animals and symbolic references, among which there are a hare and a cat, symbolizing the human temperaments of the humoral theory; or the chamois which represents the eye of God who sees everything from above, and the parrot which stands for the praise raised to the Creator. But unlike Dürer's work, in Dobri's it is interesting to note how he skillfully substituted the figure of the ox with a car, bringing the engraving back to everyday and contemporary reality. This modern aspect is also recalled by Eve's lingerie, a cloth that became popular centuries after Dürer's time. On the other hand, in “Fleurs Du Mal III” the artist stages the pivotal theme of one of Charles Baudelaire's most famous lyrical collections. Dobri depicts a backdrop like the coffered barrel vaults typical of the fifteenth century, with a sumptuous weave of lilies in delicate shades of pink at its center. This flower has a strong symbolic value: defined as heraldic, it appears in several coats of arms and blazons, so it is a sign of nobility, pride and firmness, but also of candor, purity and fertility. While in “Nike (Size L)” the artist recalls Greek archaeology with the Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre in Paris, attributed to Pythocritus of Rhodes. In this work too, Dobri wishes to make a thoroughly modern contribution to the half-bust depicted: the magnificent, elegant wings with thick plumage branch out from a corset rich in embroidery and lace. But it is with “The Lepidopterologist's Secret” that the artist delves into entomology, the discipline that deals with the study of insects. Five types of butterflies are depicted and with the last one on the bottom right Dobri represents the female genital organ: a jubilation to the delicacy and purity of women. Finally, in “Two Ladies III” we return to Christian art and literature, emphasizing the union of two women: a marble sculpture of a saint and the contrast of a very sensual looking woman. Through these works, Dobri Gjurkov succeeds in emphasizing the role of women, with their beauty, passion, but also innocence, touching numerous aspects that match perfectly with the history of art.
Art Curator Alessia Perone
Dobri Gjurkov
Adam & Eva revisited
Dobri Gjurkov
Fleurs Du Mal III
Dobri Gjurkov
Nike (Size L)
Dobri Gjurkov
The Lepidopterologist's Secret
Dobri Gjurkov
Two Ladies III
Dorothea Van De Winkel “That's the thing with handmade items. They still have the person's mark on them, and when you hold them, you feel less alone.” (Aimee Bender)
Dorothea Van De Winkel creates handowen tapestries in cotton and wool choosing earthy rich and nuanced colors and deep flat blues as flat as the blue screens used for highly edited videos and photos. In these works we recognize islands and archipelagos of signs that float in the immensity framed in pocket size, a portable art, an amulet, an iconic image to be contemplated at the needs. A small part of the world seen by someone else’s eye can thus be possessed and adored. The artist wants to emerge through her practice, from the ashes of a destroyed and decaying landscape, where the patina of the surfaces must be polished to the point of shining to fulfill its task as a mirror for the most narcissistic of species.
Dorothea Van De Winkel
The author rejects this trend and sends these aesthetic impositions, the trend or the supposedly valid superficial contemporaneity of the work of art to hell. She chooses a manual action in the introduction of a new image into this world. She doesn’t take the call of producing shiny reflective textures. The yarn of cotton and wool, which capture, absorb, become home for the dusty slices leaving in turn dusty affection. She doesn't care more about the contemporaneity of the ultimate aspect of her work but reminds us that artists are called to respond to needs that we don't know we have yet. A welcoming place, that understands and learns our inner souls and responds with warmth. These are the archipelagos and islands of Dorothea Van De Winkel, who lovingly doesn't give a damn about anything but her honest need to create for herself which becomes an inestimable generous gift for us.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Dorothea Van De Winkel
1 Imagery 3-4
Dorothea Van De Winkel
1 Imagery 4-4
Dylan Annís “Some people find meaning in love, some people find it in family, some people have god…. I have this” (Dylan Annís )
Dylan Annís is a neo-expressionist artist born in Philadelphia. Growing up, from a very early age, he discovered in art not only a refuge and a pastime but a sort of therapy where he can give vent to his emotions in a cathartic way. For the exhibition "F ** K U", held by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, the artist has decided to exhibit the work entitled “You Sometimes Think You're Human”. The warm and dark colors suggest a dark perception of the image. The brushstrokes are dappled and scratched, some of which are double and others thin and incisive. The protagonist's outlines are not well defined. Touches of orange and white acrylic paint create a sort of perspective throught the lights and the shadows of the paintings. The silhouette of a man fills the central part of the canvas. Long tears gush from the subject's eyes, while many yellow teeth come out from the absent lips. Overall, the protagonist is not depicted in detail, compared to a sphere positioned at the height of the sternum. The latter could represent both an accumulation of tears of the man represented, and the sensation of a lump in the throat. The title suggests a possible interpretation: it is probably a reference of being human, of having feelings. Therefore, the artist's invitation could be to embrace the emotions, even the darkest ones, and to be human.
Art Curator Angela Papa
Dylan Annís
You Sometimes Think You're Human
Emily Collet "Pain is the great teacher of men. Under his breath souls develop." (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)
Thanks to the support and encouragement of her grandmother, Emily Collet found her refuge in art, a way to express her essence and her most hidden and profound emotions. Through the use of a vibrant and lively color palette, the artist explores the various facets of the human side, focusing attention on personal experiences lived in the first person. Color takes the form of a real interlocutor, appointed to fully express certain emotions and sensations and to engage in a real conversation with the artist's soul. Emily Collet's attention shifts to the condition of suffering, especially psychic, which unfortunately today many, too many people live, trying to normalize it. Accept your discomfort, your emotions and live them without having to hide or be ashamed. The three works by the artist represent the speed with which one can move from one emotional state to another and this is perfectly represented by the physiognomy of the faces.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Emily Collet
Inner Rage
Emily Collet
Drowing in my thoughts
Emily Collet
Persistent Weight
Erica Bren Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power. (Jim Morrison)
Burning desire to express her own essence and courage not to limit her deepest vocation. These are the assumptions underlying the works of Erica Bren, which are always distinguished by powerful contents both from a compositional and from a meaningful point of view. The horse therefore becomes a symbol of irrepressible strength, a superb herald of audacity and subversion of schemes, as we can admire in the work presented for F**K U, entitled Chinoiserie. The work focuses on a mesmerizing alternation between shapes, shades and volumes in opposition, but balanced in a unitary and harmonious whole. Starting from the fabric background, worked with convoluted blue motifs that recall the mannerist refinements of the eighteenth-century tapestry, the artist demonstrates her ability in the "dialogue" that is created between the thin and precise swirls of the background and the running horse, depicted in a moment of maximum dynamism. The quick strokes of gray that outline the animal's body accentuate the impression of movement, as well as giving the image three-dimensionality. Erica Bren's artwork could be considered an excellent piece of art even if it is limited to the more technical aspect. However, the artist seems to demand much more from herself, offering the viewer a clue for a deeper interpretation. The impetuousness of the horse, which almost seems to run out of the picture, finds its raison d'etre in the monotonous fixity of the decorative motifs, which on the one hand amaze for their elegance, but on the other lead the viewer to "get lost" in the infinite repetition of the scrolls. The compelling desire to tear this sequence apart is thus entrusted to the animal, projected into an indomitable race. The artist transports the energy of a disruptive personality onto the canvas, which does not adapt to the rigidity of form and superficiality, to tenaciously affirm her will to be different, without fear of showing herself for who she really is. It is a message of extraordinary intellectual autonomy, as well as a wonderful example to inspire the viewer.
Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think. (Roy T. Bennett)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Erica Bren
Chinoiserie
Eva Christina Bergmann “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” (Pablo Picasso)
Eva Christina Bergmann is a passionate art lover. They say art is life and she is a prime example of the truth of this statement. She studies art and becomes an artist but not only that, she also dedicates herself to teaching art, to that form of dedicated and pure love in transmitting knowledge and vision of the most sensitive of worlds. What a declaration of commitment is to invest your time and energy in giving to someone; artists are the most generous beings, Bergmann’s painting is vital, vibrant, in a single word: alive. Her brushstrokes are a riot of vibrant colors that lead inside the artist's most childlike soul. There is a great instinct to enter her paintings, like dropping onto a mountain of freshly fallen autumn leaves or placing one's face on a carpet of fresh tulip petals. Art, as a teacher of life, which blinds with its own beauty but at the same time shows its own path created to measure for those who enjoy it. These large and thick brushstrokes, red and black, still manage to caress the viewer's eye. Smaller, more precise and refined gestures appear, sometimes with a different note of color that give depth and intensity to the image. The more watercolored works, on the other hand, give a different overall vision, which, however, remains in the hands of the viewer who wants to touch the truth that lies within each of us. Eva Christina Bergmann suggests through her works of art to bring us back into harmony with the reality we live. Once again, art is life.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Eva Christina Bergmann
French kisses
Eva Christina Bergmann
Dancing Flamingos
Eva Christina Bergmann
Love you
Eva The Russian painter Eva joins M.A.D.S. Art Gallery with three amazing works. Her art is focused on making colour the real protagonist of her works. In fact, we are in front of colorful and bright paintings. Blue, yellow, pink and red: these shades, capable of creating an enchanted and familiar atmosphere, animate the paintings and enrich it with a deep feeling that comes loud and clear in the souls of us spectators, and we find ourselves contemplating this canvas with understanding wonder. The first painting on display, “Dragon's Fiery Eye” is poetic: the delicate brushstrokes color the canvas as if they want to tell a childhood story or an exotic trip. The artwork brings us to places far away from here and reveals, with her shades of pinks, a suggestive big dragon’s eye that watches us. All the shades of pink are the protagonist of this piece that gives peace and a sense of serenity in looking at it. With the second artwork “Unearthly love” we are totally immersed in shades of blue, in a water or a sea that cradles us with love. The circular brushstrokes are not only visually extraordinary, but they create something intimate and personal, igniting in us hidden emotions that now we can no longer hide. Thanks to the energy of her art, Eva transmits us her passion and joy inside her that penetrates the paint. She’s in peace while creating, letting herself be carried away by inspiration. The third work is “Seno del loto”, an italian title for her love for Italy. Her inspiration from nature is, with this work, complete with the representation of this beautiful lotus. Eva’s colours is like a savannah jungle that embraces the elements of the earth and unites them, giving shape to brand new and well known lives. The artist shows the ability of her technique and the familiarity in the use of colours, her strength shines through her work to get straight to the viewer who is dazzled by so much explosion of pure joy. The artist herself, through the energy of the colours, gives us the right key to her personal pictorial universe, gifted to our eyes.
"Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature" (Marcus Tullius Cicero) Art Curator Federica Acciarino
Eva
Dragon's Fiery Eye
Eva
Unearthly love
Eva
Seno del loto
EVA “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way– things I had no words for.” (Georgia O’Keefe) Freedom is what comes to mind when looking at EVA’s works; freedom of thinking, of expression, of painting, of movement, of choosing, combining and altering colours. Kazimir Malevič believed that the artist must choose the path of freedom, where art responds only to the need for a pure artistic sensitivity, where colours take over everything and are best expressed in an abstract painting. In her works, EVA refuses the form and intervenes directly on the canvas or paper with an expressive sign and a spontaneous gesture that simplify the image until it becomes unrecognisable. She uses a visual language of colours and lines by creating a composition with no footholds that allow the painted image to be found in any depiction of reality. She, in fact, believes in “the priority of objectlessness”: EVA entrusts the power of colours to speak for her, silently and loudly at the same time, helping her to release “a free flow of emotions, feelings, passion, or peacefulness”.
EVA
By highlighting the ‘feeling’ of a work rather than the depiction of recognisable objects, the artist’s priority is to emphasise “the emotional state she lives through while working on her paintings”, EVA explains. The feelings and emotions felt during the moment of painting are, in fact, translated in mild and vibrant colours and vibrations of light through spontaneous brushstrokes. The artworks that EVA presents in this exhibition have been created within the last two years and are bound by “the harmony of unconsciousness” and “pure emotion” as main creative ideas. Here, EVA’s burst of passion, sensations and emotions are expressed through diverse combinations and juxtapositions of colours and brushstrokes. Some works are explosions of vivid and vibrant colours such as pink and green, while in others, a few shades of basic colours melt together. The artist lets herself follow her instincts and emotions through art. The rich palette of these paintings emphasises the sincerity of EVA’ s intentions, who invites the viewers to live an aesthetic experience at the sight of her paintings through the filter of their emotions.
Art Curator Martina Lattuca
EVA
THE HARMONY OF UNCONSCIOUS
EVA
THE HARMONY OF UNCONSCIOUS
EVA
THE HARMONY OF UNCONSCIOUS
EVA
THE SURFACE 1
EVA
THE SURFACE 2
EVA
ROMANTIC SCENERY
EVA
AGRESSION
EVA
THE SCENERY WITH A TREE
EVA
MONTENEGRO
EVA
THE HARMONY OF UNCONSCIOUS
Fabiola Bertuccelli 'Thadleeh'
Emotional journeys, this is how Thadleeh - the artistic name of Fabiola Bertuccelli – considers her creations. The three illustrations presented and exhibited at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery during the ‘F**K U’ exhibition shows something close to the concept, starting from the ‘emotional’ point of view. The artist's aim is to reach the viewers’ attention from the very beginning of her artistic process: she loves to draw with her eyes closed to feel the pencil and to transmit her sensation into the paper. Three illustrations with different scenes, each of them with a main character drawn at the center of the piece, as to remark their symbolic essence. With the same technique and the same way of creation, Fabiola realizes three pieces with a detailed attention on the single element, there is nothing ‘out of place’ each ink line, each subject occupies its own place conversing perfectly between them. Just some colours are used to give importance to some details, acquiring more attention and, at the same time, summoning the viewers’ gaze. What differs from an illustration to another is the meaning hidden beyond each scene: ‘AMICA SPECIALE’ as the artist herself explains, is a speech between the main character, the young lady standing on a small representation of the Hearth and the Universe, the Heart itself. What is significant about this piece is the number of symbolic elements. To raise the Moon and to hold the Star, is the gesture that gives importance to the scene: as a citizen and inhabitants of the World, the girl wants to highlight the power that each of us has during our lives, without being afraid of the imposed rules given by the society. More chaotic and less geometrical and organized seems to be ‘IN ALTO OLTRE GLI OSTCOLI’ that, with the same meaning, recalls the previous illustration. Here too, a young lady stands almost flying and fluctuating among some small clouds giving the sensation of softness and lightness, just as in ‘IN BILICO PER NON CADERE IMPARAI A VOLARE’. The elegance with which Fabiola creates her artworks is able to transmit a delicate but at the same important and significant message: each of us has the strength to overcome the obstacles of life.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Fabiola Bertuccelli 'Thadleeh'
AMICA SPECIALE
Fabiola Bertuccelli 'Thadleeh'
IN ALTO OLTRE IL CONFINE
Fabiola Bertuccelli 'Thadleeh'
IN BILICO PER NON CADERE IMPARAI A VOLARE
FaeryDesign Faery Design's name is Lilia and she is an Italian artist, specializing in illustration, digital painting and 3D modeling. She returns to the MADS community with three excellent works created for the digital art exhibition "F**K U". Over time the artist has improved her creative skills and reached a high level recognized in the artistic and digital field. Through this exhibition, MADS Art Gallery asks artists to break down the structures imposed by society and to break free of the chains that force men and women to behave according to standards in order to be accepted by others. Society wants us to be polite, immobile, without ambition or dreams. Hence the exclamation "F**K U" that gives the name to the exhibition. It is an exhortation to break free from these unwritten rules! We are free human beings and art, which is the means of communication of our soul, will save us. Through her artworks, FaeryDesign shows us three different forms of exhortation to life! The first work, entitled "Domina", is an invitation to get rid of the feeling of fear that negatively influences the course of our lives and makes us fragile. The artist uses the Latin phrase "Timor mortis morte pejor" to emphasize that fear of death is worse than death. FaeryDesign creates the face of a "Domina" marked by scars, cracks and wounds. They are the signs of an inner struggle: submit to the rules or become free. Fear slowly kills her from the inside. Sadness, pessimism, discouragement characterize the expression on her face. Being alive and not knowing how to live means slowly dying every day. This means burying your soul before your heart stops beating. The "Domina" has fought her battle, she has destroyed fear. Now she is free. The second work, entitled “Rebel! Your life, Your Choice” is a cry of hope for all those who make the mistake of submitting to rules. As FaeryDesign writes "A thousand rules and social oppressions are collectively created to subdue the most disruptive minds". It is not society that flattens our minds and souls, but it is the choices of each of us. What needs to be done is: break free from the chains! The artist adds: "Release the gag that prevents you from speaking! Be who you really are! Rebel for your life, for your Being in the world." It is up to us to decide whether to accept being who we are or to remain "just another statistical turbulence in this grey society". The artist skilfully creates this concept by creating a strong contrast between the grey of the city and the people who are all the same, comparable to a flock that performs the same movements at the same time, without thinking for themselves. On the other hand, she uses bright colours to create butterflies, flowers and a brave girl, full of life, ambitions and dreams. This girl has decided to break free from chains and be free to express herself. Referring to a famous literary work by William Shakespeare, the artist entitled the third work “The Tempest”. "Hell is empty and all the devils are here": with this quotation from W. Shakespeare the artist describes the inner conflict that the individual experiences with regard to society and devils. There are two types of people in the world: devils who live their lives peacefully, and angels who are constantly tormented by their goodness. The heavenly dust, which envelops the angelic soul of the subject, shows its existential storm. We are convinced that devils only exist in fairy tales or in Hell, but this is not the truth. They are close to us and we meet them every day on our way. Devils are those people who tell us: "You'll never make it! You are no good! You're not worth anything!" Their words are sharper than a blade and wound our soul, but they are only lies. Like a boat in a storm, the soul frets and damns itself for not being able to free itself from the pessimism, the anger, the gratuitous wickedness of the devils. But in its endless sailing, the soul also encounters good and kind people, who teach it to believe in itself and not to let itself down. FaeryDesign's message is: "Unmask the lie and bring the truth to light". The artist urges us to live fully and not to be intimidated by the devil. We should all learn to let our essence shine through.
Art Curator Alessia Ventola
FaeryDesign
Domina
FaeryDesign
Rebel! Your Life, Your Choice
FaeryDesign
The Tempest
For Unused 44 “The human voice is my biggest inspiration. I want to use the music to create the rhythm of a whisper” (For Unused 44)
Yichen Lin, in stage For Unused 44 is a Taiwanese composer, textile designer and visual artist. He has been selected for this great International Exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery in February 2022, entitled “F**K U” as a scream to break free, to spit and to take your own place into this world. To not care about collective issues, trends, topics of the year, shape, movements. “Living in a city surrounded by factories and working here, I have always been concerned about the impact of mass production” he says, giving life to an incredible procedure of creation for his artworks. They are audio visualization of songs to transmit the movement and details from the textile to the rhythm and visuals. He presents three artworks titled “17”, “8-bit_wave” and “eagle” executed in 2021. He has already started to translate music in the last three years, and it becomes like a new way to write a diary, inspired by the daily dating with people that are living different parts of their life, where happiness, sadness and all the other feelings that belong to each of us, are modify our attitude and with this, it can change our face expressions and tone of voice. Everything is ended as a digital artwork, that can tell us a story, an emotion, and a mood so for this reason, the colour has a fundamental rule and in fact, every day psychologists’ study how even the temperament of an individual can be revealed by the choice of a colour as well as aptitudes and character. This is a long process that can only be behind a great mind, that use his life as a thread and common denominator for all the creative practices.
Art Curator Carola Antonioli
For Unused 44
17
For Unused 44
8-bit_wave
For Unused 44
Eagle spirit
Francesca Autino "If the sight of blue skies fills you with joy, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, because your soul is alive." (Eleonora Duse)
The picturesque landscapes of the south of France, rich in lavender fields, are what inspire Francesca Autino during her artistic creation. In her work as a therapist she discovered the expressive power of colors, which have become the true protagonists of her works of art. With an abstract flavor, Francesca Autino's artistic poetics uses color as an expressive medium for her emotions and her interiority. Each nuance of colors skilfully manages to evoke precise sensations and the whole composition assumes, for the observer's eyes, an almost calming effect, as if we were inside those immense colorful landscapes characteristic of southern France. The brushstrokes, of various shapes, are placed on the canvas as a representation of the various facets of the human soul, so dynamic and changing over time. An art dedicated to one's feelings, emotions and the need to bring out, to highlight one's soul.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Francesca Autino
Allow things come and go
Francesca Autino
Open to the magic of the present moment
Francesca Autino
Staying in a place of playfulness
Fransie Malherbe Frandsen We say, "Bitches of the world unite". Be tough, get what you want, be a real Bitch. But don't let anyone else call you one!" (Guerrilla Girls, Bitches)
South African visual artist and illustrator Fransie Malerbe Frandsen presents mixed media works that want to visually fuck up the stupid restrictions women have to constantly endure. How they should look, how they should act, what to say and what not to say. Her paintings have a very cold, almost surgical temperature which gives a direct feeling of her idea of her sharp position. The colors that turn to blue have immediately reference to all that is the sphere of memories. In this case they seem to be memories as distant as they are very close, they are paintings that bear witness to a historical memory. What happened and still happens. These works have a hyper-contemporary look that however seems to resist the reverse test of time thanks to the particular attention to detail. A today fashion cut shirt, an earring, choices that can easily be taken today without betraying the timeless allure of her subjects. The author creates portraits that strike for their direct strength and their genuinely straight drive towards the viewer. These ethereal yet flat backgrounds succeed in their intent to mystify the subject and make it iconic. Frandsen complains loudly about the continual attempt to silence women, artists like her are necessary for art's mission of discomforting the poor in spirit to continue. With art everything is possible and valid, a woman can become Pope or Cardinal and can fuck the patriarchy even more loudly.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Fransie Malherbe Frandsen
Blah, blah, blah, Beatrice!
Fransie Malherbe Frandsen
Florence, don't say fuck!
Fransie Malherbe Frandsen
Lost while Hatching #2
Fransie Malherbe Frandsen
Orthodox
Fransie Malherbe Frandsen
Pallium
Franz Müller Rieser
Franz Müller Rieser is a professional photographer specialized in the Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) technique. On the occasion of the International Art Exhibition “F**K U” at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, he presents three works, titled “Everything in Flames”, belonging to a series of photos of a landscape. In his work, the camera becomes an additional sensory and creative organ. Photography became a way to express his emotionality and sense of belonging to certain places analyzing them. The balance between the forms and the aesthetic satisfaction are the protagonists of his photos. Photography shows what the eye fails to take, sees more, sees better, but it also shows differently, it goes beyond what the eye, which has its physiological limits, can see. Even before movement, the photography image can see what the unconscious of the artist sees. It’s this what we see in these three amazing photos: Franz shows what feels and sees in his "optical unconscious". This personal view of the world is the key to reinterpreting and transforming what he sees: not only to see more, but also differently and according to the unconscious. The result is a transformed landscape. It appears to be on fire, like suggested by the title of these three works. Warm red and orange colours stand out against the blue sky background. The movement of the camera allows you to blur the images, so the landscape is transformed into a mental image, which arises from the artist's interior.
Only photography has been able to divide human life into a series of moments, each of them has the value of a complete existence. (Eadweard Muybridge)
Art Curator Federica Acciarino
Franz Müller Rieser
Everything in Flames 2
Franz Müller Rieser
Everything in Flames 3
Franz Müller Rieser
Everything in Flames 5
Gabiele Scanziani I am interested in observing how something we see, might transform itself after we get a closer look to its features (Gabiele Scanziani)
Original, universal, hilarious. The masterpieces of Gabriele Scanziani at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S., are of exceptional uniqueness, the artist's comic vein lets important messages pass in a natural and light way. The ephemeral beauty of a flower represents superficiality as a way of approaching reality: this is Flowers are overrated. The artist states "In today society we focus on beauty and exterior appearance. The form often suffocates the content. This work states that we should distrust bright splendor and question the matter in front of us. For real beauty shines within ourselves" Gabriele's disapproval of this superficial habit of ours of judging things according to their wrapping is visible in his comic strip, almost as if it were his alter ego. Gabriele's art proves to be enlightening, the messages the artist gets across are deep and clear. His comics are epiphanies: they reveal truths that we know and that we hide from ourselves. He does this with a moving naturalness. He says "We often blame our misfortunes on bad luck, rarely taken accountability for the situations we put ourselves into. Real thing is, we are solely responsible for our fortunes which often come at a high sacrifice. Still, during a bad raining day we should have the courage of saying Fuck luck”. Finally, the artist communicates with the viewer. Rush hour crowd is an oxymoronic representation of isolation in a crowd. "Everybody has taken public transportation during rush hour. It looks like an ocean of faces, everyone trapped inside their thoughts, everyone generating infinite possible stories. We are so trapped in our routine that sometimes is interesting stand as an observer, having the chance to capture that moment were others are lost in their realities. So, I can get lost in theirs".
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Gabiele Scanziani
Flowers are overrated
Gabiele Scanziani
Fuck luck
Gabiele Scanziani
Rush hour crowd
Gianluca Pellerano Joga Bonito, Samba e Caipirinha... (Gianluca Pellerano)
“A tribute to Brazilian culture, Joga Bonito represents football and one year after my father's death, I want to pay homage to sport in which he has always followed me and believed in me (perhaps a little too much). Young with good expectations but lost in music and vidaloca, samba and caipirinha, represent electronic music and entertainment for me. The colors chosen for this canvas reminded me of Brazil, consequently the title of the work was chosen to combine everything into three concepts: love for my father, football, loss". This is how Gianluca Pellerano describes his work presented at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S., Energy, vigor, passion emerge from the canvas and create a deep contact with the observer. The artist's unconscious takes a well-defined form, to which he himself is able to give a sense. His memories, his experiences are wonderfully given to the world. The artist gives us his experience on canvas, which for us observers becomes a stimulus. Gianluca Pellerano started as a music producer of electronic music and approached art in 2015, in those years Gianluca was sharing house with three young artists. This kind of environment, in Milan, was very stimulating and determined the birth of the desire to devote himself to figurative art. Last year he founded his new Vinyl Label CMDRPX (Peaks of Rapax). Rapax is a juvenile pseudonym for Rapallo, the city where Gianluca was born and currently lives. The parallel project is CMDRPXART where the artist shares his works, those of his girlfriend and friends.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Gianluca Pellerano
Brasil
Gregory Logan Dunn “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” (Pablo Picasso)
Gregory Logan Dunn is an American contemporary artist whose artistic research revolves around the concept of evolution in crisis and pain. Through careful planning he studies his canvases layer by layer, allowing the arrangement and the different densities of colour to rest on the support at random. It is an almost meditative process in which the artist analyses himself by following and listening to the colour that spreads out, adapting itself to the trace left previously. This development in some cases reveals, while in others conceals, going to tell a complex and constantly changing inner world. Gregory Logan Dunn's works are the result of precise ideals and thoughts, which blend with themes and myths historically represented in art. Colour becomes the material to which he gives form, allowing randomness and rationality, feelings and emotions to converge on it. For example, in the work entitled "Demos Envenomous", one of the five paintings presented at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery on the occasion of the "F**K U" exhibition, we see how yellows, reds, purples, whites and blues are spread out incoherently one on top of the other, merging into shades and veils rich in detail.This work alludes to the Greek myth of Prometheus in order to tell the story of an American people suffering from what the artist himself calls "an eternal cycle of poison". The myth of Prometheus tells us that the Titan stole fire from the gods to give it to mankind and that for this he was condemned to a punishment that would afflict him cyclically for eternity. Gregory Logan Dunn tells us about an America where disinformation, fear, racism, xenophobia and hatred have become the poison of society. An anesthetized society that is never truly destroyed every day, just like Prometheus whose liver was torn apart every day by an eagle.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Gregory Logan Dunn
Ascension Dust
Gregory Logan Dunn
Demos Envenomous
Gregory Logan Dunn
Ghost Canon
Gregory Logan Dunn
Velocity Crowns
Gregory Logan Dunn
Versus Son
Gurugirll
Gurugirll is a Ukraine pop artist who has chosen to put in her paintings everyday elements of society invested by a higher energy. She expresses the subjects in her artworks with flamboyant colors and the backgrounds instead are always rendered with bright colors but full of elements such as objects and writings. These three paintings have as subject three blue eyes positioned in the center of the canvases, and each is found inserted in a open mouth. They are made with a rough and firm touch to make the three subjects and everything around them stand out even more. The first is called "Eye: Second one", using symbolic elements the artist wants to represent the consciousness that breaks through the chains and boundaries. The eye holds a gun in his hand, a of a person fighting for or against justice which is depicted above the government represented by the dollar in the background. The eye also wears a bow tie, symbol of innocence in a lying society because if you hold a gun and fight for society or against society, you are always a criminal dressed as innocent. In "Eye: Third one" the eye, symbol of consciousness breaks through the body undestroyable, is breaking the golden chains and it shines in a chaos made of ghosts surrounded by Koons's dogs that represents the symbol of humanity and show the power of consciousness over others to be more aware and break through society, In a way of saying here I am. "Eye: Fourth one" expresses the consciousness of society filled with materialism and the pleasures of enjoyments. The world we live in is immersed in everything that is called “cool”, with this artwork the artist does not want to criticize as much as giving a portrait of those who are the role models. Eyes are normally meant to see, but when it comes to opening them to understand the society around us, do we see, or do we go blind?
In my opinion we have not become blind, in my opinion we are, Blind who sees, Blind who, while seeing, does not see. (Josè Saramago) Art Curator Miriam Passoni
Gurugirll
Eye: Second one
Gurugirll
Eye: Third one
Gurugirll
Eye: Fourth one
Harley D. Perez "Rules are what artists break; what is memorable is never born of a formula." (Bill Bernbach)
New York artist, Harley D. Perez bases her artistic poetics on her inner world. With pen and paper, he is able to reproduce his own thoughts, populated by characters of various kinds who seem to move and interact with each other within a parallel universe. His strong creativity tends to cross over into an artistic imagination close to the world of cardboard and, more precisely, to that of comics, with a slight touch of irony. His works fully reflect the moment of artistic creation, which does not include any starting "conceptual tactic": the artist lets himself be guided by his deepest thoughts, his sensations to create something new, almost improvised. This is how he perfectly manages to bring out his inner world and make it become a real work of art. His poetics reveals itself almost like a vast sea within which each person can find himself without being conditioned by the artist's thoughts. Freedom of the spirit within the process of artistic creation to achieve fullness of expression and personal fulfillment.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Harley D. Perez
The Bird Conundrum
Harley D. Perez
The Final Stage
Harley D. Perez
New Chapter Arise
Heidi Mumenthaler “If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.” (Edward Hopper) The white canvas is like the page of a book: words are replaced by instinctive brush strokes; by colors that, when matched, play a symphony; by characters who tell us about their life. The contemporary Swiss artist Heidi Mumenthaler’s works are the result of a creative process during which the daily mood and sensations are mixed with inspirations related to cinema, theatre, and literature. The characters of her works are often human figures whose expressive faces and gestures suggest their emotions and thoughts. In "Caring for Pier Paolo Pasolini" (2017, acrylic on hardboard) the protagonist of the work is, as the title itself says, the great poet, screenwriter, actor, and director Pier Paolo Pasolini. The eyes are as if obscured by a large brushstroke, the expression of the mouth is serious, and he holds a small cat in his hand. What event in Pasolini’s life did Heidi want to immortalize? The artist states it could be Pasolini’s representation after the assassination; this we could deduce from the red spot we see behind him. “Wir machen rüber” (2021, acrylic on canvas) reminds a historical event that really happened which involved the citizens of the GDR in the period in which they wanted to go towards West. The translation of the title is in fact “we are moving”. Men, women, and children turn their reflective and combative gaze towards us: they are ready for a change, to revolutionize their life. In “Who are we when we” (2022, acrylic on canvas) the protagonist is a man with a feather headdress who, placing his hand towards his chin, seems to be pondering a decision. What's going on in his head? We are free to travel with the imagination by assuming which thoughts cloud his mind. The colors of Heidi's works are strong - red among the most common - but at the same time perfectly balanced and full of meaning. The artist, through her paintings, tells historical events from her personal point of view and paints her magical inner world by sharing it with the viewers.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Heidi Mumenthaler
Caring for Pier Paolo Pasolini
Heidi Mumenthaler
Who are we when we
Heidi Mumenthaler
Wir machen rüber
Helene Gully "Emotions arise where body and mind meet." (Eckhart Tolle)
Art has always accompanied Helene Gully, who has always painted from an early age. After several years as a journalist, the artist felt the need to abandon everything to follow what was his true passion, namely art. Helene's artistic world is populated above all by bodies, considered highly fascinating presences with a strong expressive charge; this choice is linked to the consideration that the artist has of her own body, as it has always been the latter who warned her, like a continuous bell, when it was time to change, to focus on herself. Her paintings are therefore a tribute to her own body. She paints the body to extract it from the frames in which one would like to lock it. Art takes on the appearance of a therapist who, in close dialogue with the artist, reveals his traits and peculiarities. A profound dialogue between its profound essence and the pictorial representation of what it feels and really is.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Helene Gully
A coup de bleu
Helene Gully
L'illusion de la separation
Helene Gully
Le soutien infaillible
Henry Hu
To sublimate the main character for an external response. The witness becomes the trigger for it to react. Henry Hu presents “Break Free” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. “I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time”. - Anna Freud. Anna Freud describes ten types of defense in “The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense” (1937), two of them are isolation and reaction formation, which means to react against unacceptable urges. “Break Free” is a generative artwork, which transforms a reaction into a positive transference by remaining isolated. Henry Hu, as he mentions it himself, searches to reconcile pain. Painful memories are triggered by our surroundings, by society, by what is now called “media”. Social media is the present paradigm for society, making it accessible and easier to share ideas and sublimate them. The artwork presents the process to sublimate pain, where the main character isolates from its paradigm and responds to it as an explosive geometric reaction changing from cool tones to warm ones. The geometry of the main character cannot be contained, it must be sublimated in order to achieve a reconciliation with the intensity within it.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
Henry Hu
Break Free
Hisatoshi
Hisatoshi, Japanese artist, lets himself be guided by his artistic instinct, creating romantic works speaking of metamorphosis, of future, of dreams. This is what feeds his artistic energy: the soul of a dreamer. He often depicts characters who observe breath-taking landscapes, intent on questioning life as in the case of "Crossroads of Life", a work of intense colours that depicts an isolated silhouette stands out on a rock in the water. The silhouette is backlit and looks at the sea illuminated by the colours of the sunset. The mysterious silhouette is caressed by the wind and lulled, hypnotized by the waves. "Stairs to The Future" depicts a young man intent on looking at a staircase that leads upwards, uphill, to a point illuminated by the sun. As the title suggests the painting is the metaphor of life: the staircase symbolizes the path of life and the young man depicts each of us, intent on imagining what will happen during some moments of passage faced by all. The landscape around the subject is illuminated by the sun at the top of the staircase, the rays of this leave only glimpses of the silhouettes, perhaps mountains to climb, symbol of the obstacles to face throughout the path. Hisatoshi’s third work is different from the first two, "Transform" is a portrait of a young woman looking for signs of a metamorphosis that is taking place. The young woman looks at her face with a smile, and gently caresses her concentrated face, fascinated by the discoveries she is making. Hisatoshi uses his extraordinary artistic talent to describe in different ways what makes life unique and wonderful: continuous discovery, continuous evolution.
Art Curator Sara Giannini
Hisatoshi
Crossroads of Life
Hisatoshi
Stais To The Future
Hisatoshi
Transform
Ines Vaško “There are two distinct languages. There is the verbal, which separates people… and there is the visual that is understood by everybody.” (Yaacov Agam) "Back pain" expresses hardness and movement at the same time, insists on the inner contents that the forms want to communicate, creates a tension that is both stable and unstable, subdued and strong but also variable. The concoction of shapes and colors created carries within itself infinite tensions and arouses strong emotions in those who look at it and study it carefully. The gaze of the observer is lost looking at the whole picture but also tries to observe the particular, it finds itself among the nuances and combinations, creating a magical evocative power. The abstract art of Ines's work represents the world of forms and ideas, in a sketchy expressive language, which frees interpretation. In particular, the painting is an inner expression, the Croatian artist lets herself be guided by her own emotions and impulses, rather than by specific and real reason. The lines, the shapes, the combinations, the colors create a conflictual whole capable of transmitting raw emotions, without compromise, without limits and without constraints to real subjects. For this reason, the observer's gaze and emotion are free to interpret the different facets that make up her works. You can concentrate on each brushstroke and draw strong emotions and feelings from it, or study the set of combinations overcoming the representative purpose of painting to land in the pure sensitivity of art. The expression of the most intimate feeling and emotions, not polluted by references to the external, but a real object. And it is precisely for this reason that Ines leaves us freedom, in the forms we can immerse ourselves and imagine what our mind puts in front of us, without limits and without borders. It causes a raw emotion, without compromises dictated by the real object and subject but open to discoveries and changing interpretations of our gaze. Ines's work also reflects her childhood times, when an interest in colors emerged in her, followed by that of pencils, charcoal, pastels and watercolors. Colors are in fact the means that guide her inspiration and her hand on the canvas; once the colors have been decided and clarified, Ines, she lets herself be guided by the emotions that she derives and paints.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Ines Vaško
Back pain
ISK A journey into another world where reality is no longer the one we know. The elements that make up this universe, therefore recognizable, acquire a mysterious aura that makes us doubt their essence, the meaning we have canonically attributed to them. And this is how our journey begins. A calm and peaceful wandering that touches landscapes at the limit of the known, that illustrates new views, new in their chromatic and formal manifestation. A journey that smells of expressive freedom and emancipation from a world that is too solid, too earthly and preset. “Mellow” is the portal that we must cross. The composition, all played on a perspective from above, has as its focal point a large white circle right in the middle of it. Slightly shifted, we notice the features of two individuals who, with a confident and relaxed manner are about to enter into that white space. But what is this circle? Is it empty, is it full? Is it bright or is it characterized by the absence of light? It is too early to find out, we are still on the edge of the event horizon and no one yet knows what the journey holds for us. All around the circle - or the hole -, a pinkish space stands out in front of our eyes. It's a space that reminds us of something digital, the presence of pixel-like elements and glitches transports us to a dimension that, although it has an unnatural appearance, conveys a sense of peace and tranquility, of sweetness and serenity. The calm pink color palette with tips of greenish accompanies us and urges us to cross the entrance of the white hole. We throw ourselves on the asphalt. We are alive, we are fine. Blinded by the white light we didn't realize we were landing in front of a building. A building? We are not convinced. In front of us a reddish atmosphere urges us to look at the features of the representation. Pinwheels rising up to the sky become the protagonists of the work, of this new space of universe. The reddishorange color pervades our souls and the atmosphere has become rather claustrophobic. It looks like the image of pinwheels resting on balconies colored by the sunset light. Yet this is not reality as we imagine it and have always experienced it. It is something else, something that resembles our world but in reality is not. And so it is that the building and the pinwheels, thanks to an extremely dark and heavy chromatic palette, become almost abstract elements that make us lose our sense of space and time. “Pinwheel” is the image of a new universe and “Reset” is the most striking proof of this. In this work any reference to reality is almost cancelled and our mind, traveling by trial and error, tries to recognize even the smallest element of the known world in order to interpret what our eyes are seeing. The sensation is that of sitting on the prow of a boat: all around is water, a rather serene sky and in the distance, dry land. In reality, the situation is anything but real. It is totally abstract. “Reset" concludes our journey, our wanderings in a totally new and unprecedented universe that enchants us with its vivid and mysterious colors.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
ISK
Mellow
ISK
Pinwheel
ISK
Reset
j.david “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” (Edgar Degas)
What we see in j.david’s works is a beautiful tension between the personal and the universal that neither shows nor expresses a fixed objective or subjective reality, but releases different emotions and feelings to whoever is looking at them. J.david is a digital artist from Palma de Mallorca and his paintings are the results of everything, from school and books to friends and music, encountered in his life. “I try to be as creative as I can and as spectacular and epic as I can and I always let chance get involved in the illustration or painting, something similar to what Pollock did”, the artist explains. Born from a not pre-conceived action and pre-defined idea, chance is what makes his technique unique and what gives his paintings an interesting and unexpected character. Nothing is pre-established in j.david’s works as everything is the result of the spur of the moment during the act of painting. This sense of chanciness is also conveyed through edgeless lines, blurred colours and objectless backgrounds, which give the spectacular and epic effects to the artist’s paintings. Portraits are j.david's trademark and “Molly” is one of them: a digital illustration, made with photoshop and procreate, of a story the artist wrote. Molly is a rock woman playing the guitar; we cannot see her face clearly as her dark hair covers it, but we can feel the power of the music she is playing. This portrait is the artist’s interpreted image of his rock woman, conditioned by his poetics and his sensitivity. Inside her room or upon a concert stage, we can feel the powerful energy her body posture conveys; we are transported in and by her silent music. She is the representation of the perception that j.david has of himself, of music, or perhaps, of the pure energy that rock music transmits to him. We can wonder what is the story of Molly in j.david’s diary. But, at the same time, the artist invites us to create our story about Molly. Molly is whoever we wish she is and she is playing whatever music we wish her to play in tune with her and our mood. So, I ask you: what kind of music do you hear?
Art Curator Martina Lattuca
j.david
Molly
Jamal R. Wells
Jamal R. Wells presents “Tidal Waves” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. The geographic geometry implemented to create divisions of important regions in a world waiting to be discovered. The vast space, covered by warm tones, depicts the intensity in which this new world is created. The artist portrays a bird’s eye view influenced by the movement of water carrying the responsibility to create a landscape. We witness the arrival of water to land creating abstract compositions, which reflect how it has been reconciled with the movement of waves. Witness a land after the waves have fallen. The “F**K U” exhibition is about breaking free, to forget paradigms, to create new points of view. The creation of new spaces came as a result after turmoil, a result after witnessing reality in a violent way. “Tidal Waves” reflects a result and how beautifully we can create new ideas from it. We can imagine how violent and intense were the waves, if we see the traces they left. Jean Messagier was a french artist whose purpose was to depict nature as a revelation of its essence, trying to recreate it by how it moved. “… what before tended to stop me, but now has me involved with Jean Messagier’s paintings. It is his very sensitive relationship with the sky, the earth, the wind and weather… An addiction, a love and a great knowledge of the variability of nature.” - Børge Birch. Jamal takes into consideration the traces that nature can create as a foundation for a new perspective. A new wave is coming. Stand still to create from it.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
Jamal R. Wells
Tidal Waves
James Meunier James Meunier is a young American artist who uses different tools and techniques in his artistic process to express himself. He takes inspiration from the world around him by creating a contemporary street style, adapted to painting on canvas. The influences of graffiti art are evident both in the choice of artistic media and in the final result. James explores different artistic solutions, not afraid to be daring or to try new creative paths. This is evident in his artwork "Untitled". On a multicoloured background with colours shaded to look like watercolours, there are stylised drawings, writing, brushstrokes in black and white. The two colours are the real protagonists of the canvas, capable of dialoguing with the coloured pigments and creating with them a relationship of transparencies and superimpositions. Two worlds that meet and confront each other, two different planes that are so indistinguishable that it is hard to tell which is superimposed and which is the background. The influence of street art is evident thanks to the use of techniques such as spray paint, pens and oil pastels. The use of these materials leads to the creation of different textures which the artist skilfully combines, giving harmony to chaos. With his works, James tells stories, artwork enclosed within a larger artwork. In this canvas, the contrasts do not clash, but rather complement each other. The application of coloured pigments is soft and sinuous and clashes with the drier, sharper brushstrokes of the stylised writings and drawings. The harshness of reality clashes with the harmony of the inner world. Art pervades the cities, the streets, surrounding us. Everywhere is art, we are art. James approaches the discipline in an innovative way, modernising and adding novelty to a world where prejudices are still very much in evidence. He gives his own interpretation of reality, painting it on his canvases. Canvases that contain different worlds and atmospheres put together, perfectly combined. In particular, the effect he produces with this work is that of the reproduction of a map with buildings seen from above, roads, signs and writing. An abstract map, a life path. James shows himself to be a talented artist capable of reading and interpreting the contemporary world by mixing techniques from both the past and the present, giving us his own personal and creative point of view of things.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
James Meunier
Untitled
Janna Esbensen “Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.” (Vincent Van Gogh) Janna Esbensen is self-taught, she struggles to define herself as an artist, as if this word were somehow sacred. From another point of view, she claims with all her might her right to the artistic production, to self-expression through painting, sculpture and everything that comes between and beyond. The strength of artists like Esbensen is precisely this unawareness and lack of knowledge of their own practice and their own inner research, which leads to the production of extraordinary works. It is not a case that the most beautiful creations came from a random intuition and sometimes arrived so quickly in terms of making that the artist couldn’t even think about it, and then, masterpiece. The three paintings presented tell different moments of the same story, a birth, a touch, an awakening. Everything the artist shows us is part of the concept of care. A subject that is born, a body that is generated by another body, with love. And then a caress, of someone who gave life and before and of someone else after, a caress that reveals something to the protagonist ready to receive it. The awakening, then, from the depths of the forest, not with little pain perhaps, but with a light of hope. Everything we see tells our story, sooner or later we are touched and awakened. Works of art such as these identify themselves as messengers of hope and introspection, they seem to ask would you love someone after you've lost everything? And the answer is yes, and so a birth, and again.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Janna Esbensen
THE BIRTH
Janna Esbensen
THE AWAKENING
Janna Esbensen
YOUR TOUCH
Jason Bailey
Jason Bailey is an artist who represents the authentic voice of modern impressionism, as he himself says he is the poet artist of light. Bailey is for the first time the guest of an exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery and on the occasion of "F ** K U" exhibits "Sunset and Snow" a work representing a pristine landscape that conveys a sense of peace, freedom and calm. A work with an evident impressionist influence brings with it the methods of representation typical of that artistic current, in particular "en plain air" painting. Not completely absent is the assonance with Romanticism according to which nature is read and represented in a romantic, idealized and deified key. In fact, with his beauty, nature causes conflicting feelings to arise in man which on the one hand terrify him for his immensity and power and on the other reassure him. The depth of the work is given by the way in which the color is spread and used, the different layers present in the work are the key that the artist uses to provide the sense of depth. Extremely interesting is the contrast between the darkness of the trees and the orange light that represents the sunset, an extremely simple image that conveys an extremely numerous series of moods and emotions, brings back to the memory of moments passed in nature, in a place where the human being is free.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Jason Bailey
Sunset and Snow
Jeff Brice
A map to create. A map to create freedom. Jeff Brice presents “116099309” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. “Pure, existential space was regularly winking at me … this sensation of total freedom attracted me so powerfully that I painted some monochrome surfaces just to 'see,' to 'see' with my own eyes what existential sensibility granted me: absolute freedom! - Yves Klein. Yves Klein’s concepts on “Air architecture” were developed to create from primal elements, such as air, water, fire and earth, these elements existed to achieve liberation through immateriality. Imagine to create a map composed by ethereal and ephemeral elements to render it accessible to a new paradigm of society. Do it and it will become a reference from which future artists will witness the starting point of a utopic map leading the way of creative freedom. A freedom map waiting to be downloaded as a primal source. Jeff Brice orchestrates images to render a map of freedom, which shows different paths depending on the will of the beholder. Take a moment to contemplate its rhythm, you will go through different tones and traces to free yourself.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
Jeff Brice
116099309
Jennifer Hardell “Art enables us to find ourself and loose ourself at the same time.” (Thomas Merton)
Impressionist painter Jennifer Hardell, from an early age, has always been surrounded by a creative environment that has stimulated her work and creativity and made her become a professional in the art sector. Her works are characterized by the use of acrylics and charcoal that give shape and body to people. In "Who Does She Think She Is" and in her other works there is a great expression of femininity, the brushstrokes the brushstrokes give shapes to forms of womanhood, vulnerability and tenderness which are contrasted by the chaos and grit. What we perceive looking at the image is the desire to take risks, we can imagine Jennifer's strong choice not to go back on her footsteps and her decisions to explore the dogma she left behind her. The work expresses the overcoming of the religious self-condemnation in which she lived, the freedom and courage to spread her wings to be able to express herself without the judgment of others. In this sense, Jennifer's painting embodies the concept of the exhibition, the will to free from other’s opinions, from their judgment, from the limits imposed by external environments in order to try to find ourselves and do it in the most direct way possible. In fact she manages to give the female figure a courage and a femininity that go beyond the canvas, we perceive the strength of a brave woman, but also a tender and sensitive soul, full of courage but also fragile. The painting represents a self-portrait, painted on two linen boards and sealed together. This separation is an emblematic symbol of the division of the life before and after, but it also represents union as a view to reparation. "Who Does She Think She Is" has the strength to be a reasoned work but also an introspective exercise, it is as if Jennifer, in self-painting, did a therapeutic exercise, expiring her emotions on the canvas and letting them go thought a flow of intentions. We can perceive at the same time the gratification and frustration of each brushstroke, the release of an idea in a real, concrete and beautiful form.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Jennifer Hardell
Who Does She Think She Is
Jeongwon Lee Born in South Korea, Jeongwon Lee is a professional artist used to enjoy painting with oil and watercolors. Fascinated since her studies by abstract expressionism, her works of arts are focused on the search for materials and on the spread of colors, letting herself to be inspired for this by nature. Even though there are no forms and drawings in her work, she in fact has been expressing the rhythm and vitality of her paintings through color spread and paint dripping, as if to recreate the sinuosity of nature and its colors, thus leaving the visitor the possibility of seeing or reviewing images in her works present in his memory and reliving emotions experienced in the past. Her works, which for this reason are constantly evolving, are extremely dense and deep, also thanks to Jeongwon's freedom of color selections and the harmony of colors. At “F**K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, Jeongwon presents three artworks. In "No.22_01" the shades range from green at the top left to orange at the bottom right in a whirlwind of colors that blend and condition each other. From the power of these shades, which almost seem to be swallowed up by a dark oval in the center like a black hole, a sinuous greenish figure emerges on the left, barely hinted at. Everything else is immersed in Jeongwon's color and dense painting for a deeply material and almost three-dimensional result. In “No.22_02” which develops horizontally, once again the color predominates, from the bluish one on the right to the yellow and orange ones on the left. The sensation is that of being faced with a material explosion that invades the space, through a play of light and shadows that make the painting lively and engaging. Lastly, "No.22_03" develops vertically: the theme of color also recurs in this work which in fact consists of an explosion of green and blue that invades the yellow canvas, visible only at the top. The technique is that of “dripping”, which consists in making the color dripping randomly onto the space of the painting, creating movement and depth. Thanks to these expedients, Jeongwon's works are therefore deeply moving, engaging and with an almost three-dimensional rendering, calling the viewer to immerse themselves in these apparently chaotic but expertly conceived and reproduced works.
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
Jeongwon Lee
No.22_01
Jeongwon Lee
No.22_02
Jeongwon Lee
No.22_03
Jessica Laurianne Rowlands “To my mind a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty. There are too many unpleasant things in life as it is, without creating still more of them.” (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)
Artist Jessica Laurianne Rowlands is an amazing creative whose everydaylife is continuously influenced by art. She actually brings art everywhere she goes. Painting, sculpting, renovating clothes, literally everything that can come up she turns it into an artistic opportunity. A mother and wife at a young age, she began practicing art in her life as a mother, with her children and her ideas, which as they grew within her, they sought a dedicated space where to fully express this artistic soul of hers. Rowlands' painting has an almost immature and naive look, but it implies a great contemporary culture related to society and the artistic context. Illustrative and comic-inspired images have been entering the biggest galleries since before the advent of Pop Art and have not moved since. Figurative painting is always of great emotional impact because it refers directly to our imagination. A half-woman figure, half pink flamingo, a cocktail in hand, mirrored sunglasses, a tropical landscape, a sophisticated hammock. Everything seems to refer to one of those reality series starring incredibly rich people in their bored afternoons, where everything is amazing and awesome. If it weren't for the half pink flamingo, which reminds us how reality is distorted and easily close to a dream if confused with it. Dreaming, why not, with joy, also thanks to a work of art hanging on the wall, or perhaps thanks to it and to the author who thus continues to express her own identity.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Jessica Laurianne Rowlands
Warm Chill
Jewell Edward Cundiff
Jewell Edward Cundiff is an American artist with an important artistic career behind him. Cundiff's artistic production is clearly expressionist inspiration, in particular relating to American abstract expressionism. Cundiff is a guest, for the first time, at an exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of "F ** K U" he exhibits a triptych of works with incredible communicative power and great aesthetic taste. "Acute Attraction" reflects Rothko's abstract expressionism, in which the softer and lighter brushstroke opens to a more pronounced hint of naturalism and a synthesis of color that is close to the effects sought by post-impressionism, which aim at introspective component. "Gold Hour" is a work of art that takes you back to Joan Mirò's surrealism thanks to the use of the line in a completely abstract context. The brushstrokes and strokes are confident, decisive, devoid of any pre-imposition. “Whismy” sees a fusion between abstractionism and naturalism, the chromatic decomposition of a landscape brings to mind what Picasso and Braque had done with the geometric and planes decomposition within Cubism. As the artist himself says, his works of art do not want to be representations but real portals for the beginning of an uninhibited journey full of emotional experiences that have no consequence.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Jewell Edward Cundiff
Acute Attraction
Jewell Edward Cundiff
Gold Hour
Jewell Edward Cundiff
Whismy
Jiawei Fu Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. (Edgar Degas) Art is a powerful communication tool, capable of connecting who joins it with the soul of those who practice it. The artworks exhibited by the Chinese artist Jiawei Fu are no exception and transport us directly into her dimension, showing us something about herself and her inner world. The first painting, entitled The cake I always dream about, opens the door of a surreal universe, which exists in the artist’s unconscious and is linked to her personal experience. The work reproduces, in fact, one of her recurring dreams, made during the Covid-19 epidemic: an endless loop as well as the days were repeated over again, with the same gestures, expressions, feelings. This numbness of the senses and, above all, of human relationship, flatten by the lack of physical encounters, is an interesting point of reflection for such a sensitive artist like Jiawei, who questions about the social consequences that may have: how much time has to pass before will we be considered as objects instead of human beings? Thus was born the Quarantine series, of which this painting is part, where the artist invites the viewers to immerse in her artworks and identify themselves with the represented subject, pouring into the canvas their interiority and establishing with it a real soul connection.
Jiawei Fu
About her artwork, the artist says "You can't stop dreaming about this greeny cake. Sometimes it looks like a snake, sometimes it looks like a dragonfly. No matter what it looks like, you can never taste that in your dream."In Self Portrait, however, the artist decides to portray herself in a realistic and recognizable way, composing the face through harmonic and modulated brushstrokes. The colour is the main protagonist in the works presented by Jiawei. In fact there is no outline, but every shape is defined through brushstroke and chiaroscuro, and it is always the painting to emphasize the salient parts of the work. In The cake I always dream about, the fact of not being able to give an unambiguous interpretation of the subject is then accompanied by the use of a misty tint and undefined contours. In Self-Portrait, on the other hand, the chromatic backgrounds make up the artist’s face and highlight her features, underlining her lips, dyed a bright red, and her gaze, aimed at the observer. Colour and its composition are a fundamental component in Jiawei’s artistic language: by mixing pigments with binders, such as alcohol or egg yolk, the artist manages to obtain certain visual effects that connect us directly with contemporary reality.
Art Curator Alessia Domenichini
Jiawei Fu
The cake I always dream about
Jiawei Fu
Self portrait
Joanna Kucia
Joanna Kucia is a surreal collage artist. An art that satisfies her desire to tell stories, a passion that has accompanied her since she was a child. Through the digital manipulation of old photos, she expresses her emotions and moods, telling anecdotes and personal experiences, to induce the spectator to reflect. She finds her inspiration in dreams, books, music, even in everyday conversations. The work "Connexion" represents a woman with half her face covered with flowers. The artist wants to convey the message "We are what they consume" that is our experiences make us what we are. The choices we make every day, every book we read, every music we listen to, forms our "I", this allows us to follow a path that only we can know. In "Love to The Color Yellow" we find the figure of Debbie Harry, an American pop icon of the eighties, associated with Pop art, thanks to her portrait made by Andy Warhol in 1980. Bright colors, such as yellow, have always been associated to Warhol's works, in this case the use of this specific color evokes positive emotions, of joy and fun.
Joanna Kucia
In the collage "The box of delights" the artist evokes childhood memories that disappear with growth. The figures are made impersonal by the use of flowers instead of the face, so that every spectator can identify with the message of the work. Finally, in "The miracle World", the artist is inspired by the tale of "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carrol. In particular, Joanna focuses on the figure of Alice and on her immense curiosity. Curiosity has always been seen as something threatening to public order, because, often, it brings back secrets that tend to destabilize society. In a world full of rules, it is necessary to find the courage to go down to the lair of the Bian Coniglio. Surrealist artists do not stop in representing reality, considered too limited. They want to deepen what belongs to the dream, to the unconscious, to bring out the deepest feelings of the psyche, influenced by Freud's work "The Interpretation of Dream" from 1900. Joanna's works are a window on her dreams, on hers fears and the events that surround her.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Joanna Kucia
Connexion
Joanna Kucia
Love to The Color Yellow
Joanna Kucia
The box of delights
Joanna Kucia
The miracle World
Jonathan Berkh Perspective is perception of depth - Abstraction is creating realities deprived of all realism (Jonathan Berkh) Jonathan Berkh is an artist living in Vienna, with a rich career as an artist comes to the M.A.D.S. Art Gallery on the occasion of the "F ** KU" exhibition during which he exhibits three works with a postmodern appeal and in which symbolic and chromatic violence clearly express the message, deriving from street art, in particular from graffiti and associated with artistic production by Pablo Echaurren. The communication theorist Marshall Mecluhan coined the expression "The medium is the message" this pillar of communication theories finds ample space in these three works exhibited by Berkh, the interpretative side is abandoned for a moment by choosing to convey the verbal intention identifying in the word and in the languagem, the true feeling that the artist wants to express is inside the verb. The brushstroke is decisive and confident, not defined and poor in the use of the material, as it is not necessary for Berkh to have a perfect result, the intention is to reach the observer in the depths of the soul by transmitting the essence of what the artist wants to convey. The chromatic contrast is extremely relevant, the fil rouge is the use of black which aims to frame the textual element represented with extremely bright and vivid colors. Jonathan Berkh stands as a communicating artist, the thought expressed is free from any kind of prejudice and this leads the observer to be fascinated by it.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Jonathan Berkh
Untitled
Jonathan Berkh
Untitled
Jonathan Berkh
Untitled
Kamazuri
Kamazuri presents “Fight the censors! (Censored Series)” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. A black and white video discloses the tranquility achieved once an artwork is uncensored. The concept of “Fourth wall” was created by Denis Diderot, to explain the boundary between the performer and the audience. Kamazuri creates an interaction between the audience and the performer due to the projection of images on the performer from the audience’s side, which breaks the “fourth wall”. The projection acts as a commentary from the audience, towards what it is being witnessed and how this can affect the artwork. Throughout the video, the performer reacts with each frame, with each shot from an audience always eager to criticize and comment. The objective is to not be afraid of the “fourth wall”, this is emphasized because of the disruption between the performer’s side and the audience’s side. The artwork acts as a commentary towards a creative freedom. The fourth wall convention is interrupted by contrasted images of light and darkness bringing messages to not stop going forward into a path with a creative outcome.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
Kamazuri
Fight the censors! (Censored Series)
Kamonpoi “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.” (Oscar Wilde)
Japenese visual artist Kamonpoi's practice is an immersive analytical journey into everyday life. The artist focuses on the concept of “Bure”, “Shake” in english: when people do not know what to do and therefore change their thoughts and attitudes according to what is happening around them. His characters always seem to be wondering, bored, what they should be doing. In Kamonpoi's paintings we often see grids, rooms as architectural and compositional structures of the final image. This structural desire, involves a very ambiguous view of the fruition of the work. The description of small scenes of everyday life, extends a hand to the viewer who can understand the emotional dynamics and aspects related to the practical life. On the other hand, these many stories ask us to literally take a step backwards in order to see the bigger picture. Fruits, plants, elements coming from a known internal environment, everything brings us back to everyday life. The choice of subjects and the micro stories represented tell of power dynamics. Female figures in provocative poses, almost giving the idea of being in a showcase, of showing off and performing for someone; a perhaps deadly execution, or a warning, men in suits as if to underline the aspect of command. The use of highlighter as the main tool is what makes these works accessible, with the aspect of doodling in the office, as if any of us could do it or had done it, connects us with the artist from a human point of view and possibilities. Kamonpoi's critique of society is harsh but his aesthetic is fine and sweet, which is why the viewer fall in love with it at first glance.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Kamonpoi
Pieces 2x4
Kamonpoi
Pieces 5x10
Kamonpoi
Highlighter Piece (Duck Toy)
Karen Robb "Take care of yourself, and watch out for those you have to watch out for, for one does not die more than once, and nobody returns to put right the things done wrong." (Michelangelo) Karen Robb is a visual artist with a bachelor's degree specializing in figurative painting. The vision she seeks to convey is that of a genuine lover of the human figure. Curves, structural lines, angles and axes. The architecture that builds the body's markings have always fascinated the artist. In the painting "David and Delilah" we can clearly see how, once isolated, the various sections of the body have their own logic and perfection. Robb in this scene describes a transformation, that of David, who from stone becomes flesh thanks to the encounter and the touch of Delilah. The metallic and golden colors refer to a feeling of sin, of broken rules. For the author it is very important that the viewer is inspired by her works and grasps its meaning to undertake their own journey. In this case, the artist speaks of an approach, but not only that, she speaks of a new beginning. About the possibility of being together after the transformation into a human being. Karen tells us about this passion that can finally blossom and live in all its beauty. David is touched by a gesture of Delilah and everything changes. Observing the painting without knowing anything about it, one has the impression of a man on the run, as if he had taken enough to be able to say enough. Karen tells us about this passion that can finally blossom and live in all its beauty. David is touched by a gesture of Delilah and everything changes. Here we can easily find ourselves in the thought of the ambiguity of the work of art, which on the one hand clearly indicates a fantastic happening, which on the other hand reveals the incapacity of David to keep it going.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Karen Robb
David and Delilah
Karina Mack “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” (Walt Disney) Pursuing your dreams, going straight on your way overcoming every obstacle you come across. Courage and tenacity have always distinguished the career of the contemporary German artist Karina Mack. Painting is a way to escape from reality, to enter a magical world where fantasy is in the foreground. The protagonists of her works, in fact, are the characters of Walt Disney cartoons, which she rediscovered as an adult thanks to the relationship with her beloved children. The three works analysed were created in 2022 with mixed media: the artist used acrylic colors, holograms, gold leaf, finished with epoxy resin on canvas. In “Focus on - enjoy life” the protagonist is Mickey Mouse who, immersed in a galaxy of colors, does not lose sight of his goal. Always maintaining concentration and determination to win one's battles is the message that Karina wants to convey with this work. Mickey Mouse wears a trendy T-shirt and surfs the waves in "Golden surfer". The joyful expression of Walt Disney's hero conveys a charge of energy and positivity. "I believe in love and gucci" is the sentence we read in the work of the same title. Minnie wears a Gucci dress and throw open her arms, smiling. What happened to be so happy? She has just seen her dear Mickey Mouse or just bought a shirt of her favourite brand… You can imagine it! Pop style, fantastic characters and strong color contrasts characterize the Karina’s works, an artist with an original and brilliant personality at the same time.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Karina Mack
Focus on - enjoy life
Karina Mack
Golden surfer
Karina Mack
I believe in love and gucci
Katharina Rochat
Katharina Rochat paintings are an expression of her positive thought and <<are inspired by the simplicity of abstract expressions>> as the artist herself claims. For this reason, she has decided to present five of her creations at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery’s ‘F**K U’ exhibition, with the aim to transmit her feelings and positive vibes to her viewers. Her aim to create works that touch the heart can be perfectly seen in these five paintings, different between them for the subjects and the elements represented but at the same time, similar in the technique – structured mixed media and acrylic – and in the atmosphere. A part from ‘Sunset on the Matterhorn’ realized with hotter colours contrasting with the iced summit of the mountain that gives the name to the piece; and ‘Encounter in the fog’ in which the light coming from the interior of the edifice together with the trees’ foliage give somewhat of less dark to the scene. This sensation of negativity and fear felt by watching at the foggy road where a gray man seems to follow the girl walking on his front is something emotional that this great use of colours can transmit. With light and play of colours Katharina enables the viewer to dive into a space with harmony and atmosphere. Influenced by water worlds and natural beauty are the remaining three paintings, in which soft colours such as the light blue, the white and some spots of pink are the main characters. In painting Katharina can express all her feelings and this skill is well interpreted and transmitted by ‘Hug in Blue’. This painting, coherent with the concept and the aim of the exhibition itself, can perfectly personify the realization of the artist’s emotional essence.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Katharina Rochat
Hug in blue
Katharina Rochat
Encounter in the fog
Katharina Rochat
Spring Scent
Katharina Rochat
Longing for the sea
Katharina Rochat
Sunset on the Matterhorn
Katia Minervini
An eternal wanderer, Katia Minervini loves to tell the story of the diversity that populates our planet through the description of small gestures and imperceptible nuances. Her canvases evoke the memories and emotions experienced during her travels around the world, revealing a serene and delicate vision expressed through warm and soft brushstrokes. Convinced, like Wassily Kandinsky, that colours speak to the soul of each of us, she entrusts her deepest emotions to the colour blue, which in fact is the undisputed protagonist of the work she is presenting in this exhibition. If for Kandinsky blue was capable of attracting man towards the infinite, awakening in him a nostalgia for the pure, for her this colour is associated with depth and reflection. The different shades of blue blend in the lower part of the work, capturing the viewer in the artist's emotional abyss. Between the dark folds of the composition, however, golden touches emerge, almost glimmers of light that, occupying the upper part of the canvas, balance the composition and allow the viewer to find a sense of peace. The beauty of the artist's work lies in her ability to amplify a detail, making it capable of arousing feelings that can affect each of us differently. Filtering each story with her strong sensitivity, the artist does not limit herself to description, but makes each compositional element an opportunity to trigger new reflections and to give the viewer an emotional experience of great intensity. With her works, she allows us to observe reality through her eyes and, thanks to these, to dwell on the variety and uniqueness that distinguishes the human being.
Art Curator Marta Graziano
Katia Minervini
Blu Profondo
Katja Trümper "Our bodies penetrate the sofas upon which we sit and the sofas penetrate our bodies. The motorbus rushes into the houses which it passes, and in their turn the houses throw themselves upon the bus and are blended with it.“ (Umberto Boccioni) The perfect synthesis, the blocks of color, the angles and straight lines, the points of contrast. Katja Trümper’s work communicates breakthrough strength, she declares herself a hiker through rocky landscapes and this is how she can also describe her painting practice. The strength comes from every element of this painting: the position of the blocks of color, the forward thrusting movement, the spiral with which the horns are described that seems almost like a fossil releasing an ancient power of which she holds the formula. Where are these mouflons heading? Against what issue are they hurling themselves? These animals become a symbol of the figure of the artist and his iron will. The millimetric precision with which this painting was made contains the power of gesture and thought behind the performative practice of an artist who uses painting as a means of expression. An escape from the present time and the concept of time itself is questioned. Such a refined image, almost artificial and computerized in appearance, can be itself a matter of time and can contain questions and answers itself. The author not only scales the rocky landscapes but also brings back to the canvas asperities and conquests. Katja doesn't give a damn about other people's conception of life, with her art she just breaks through, straight, with no fear and no will to please.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Katja Trümper
RUN UP TO RAM
Katrina Frankcom "Art is an expression of the inexpressible" (Goethe) Wonder arises from a pricological unease: Katrina Frankcom's art is like a butterfly born from the caterpillar that feeds on pop suggestions and accentuated and exasperated expressiveness by investigating the chromatic spectrum of human emotions. The intensity of these is suggested by a marked line and strong contrasts that determine the chiaroscuro of the portraits. Each face expresses an intensity and a freedom to be able to express themselves as you wish, free from social conventions and rediscovering our most primordial instinct. As Oscar Wilde said, art is not an ethical question like Nietzche with his work Beyond Good and Evil. In modern society physical ailments are privileged rather than internal ones because at times consumerism and materialism obscure our spirituality, which is equally important and which must be liberated and nurtured.
Katrina Frankcom
The way of experiencing emotions and situations in an intense and strong way leads the artist to perceive the true essence of the portraits that he composes as if each expression were a face of a complex human prism to be observed but above all to be loved by reflecting his own soul in it. The oscillation of moods leads to an acceleration in the artist's internal spiritual movements, expressed with hard, broken, exaggerated lines that sometimes take on almost a caricature value. Sometimes reality reveals itself as it is to those who break the standards and simply try to be themselves, because after all we are nothing but magnificent and terrible men at the same time.
Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final. Rainer Maria Rilke
Art Curator Matilde Lanciani
Katrina Frankcom
Futuristic Selfie
Katrina Frankcom
Modern Medusa
Katrina Frankcom
F**K U
Katrina Frankcom
Do you know what I'm thinking?
Kawarano
Mantra. Formula that is repeated many times as a meditative practice. It is used within disciplines aimed at self-awareness, as a practice for entering the here and now of our time and space. Mantra. Multiple words, one word that resonates in our mind in rhythm with our relaxed breath. More words, one word. Multiple tiles, one tile. A mantra is a repetition and in fact, it can also exist in the form of a geometric figure, an inked line and a mosaic tile. What is important, and what defines the mantra as a meditative practice is the ultimate purpose that lies within the repetition. The act of catharsis, of getting rid of the superfluous and thoughts, the act of letting slip on what is not inherent to our soul with the sole purpose of knowing more and more ourselves and what lies in the innermost depths of our soul. And that's how "Bloom! Sing!" is outlined in the eyes of the beholder. It is the visual transposition of the repeated word, of the mantra that resonates in our mind, of the process of understanding our soul. Like a lush flower, the composition blossoms before our eyes. Our pupils wander following the curved and pleasantly agitated motions of the black ink lines, observing the intersections and tasting the pigment so saturated with color. All around and within the spaces created by the lines, a chromatic explosion so strong that it makes the small rectangular tiles that occupy most of the composition vibrate. Tiny tiles, almost identical to each other, move imperceptibly and in unison, lulled by the notes that the different chromatic tones manage to produce. First slowly, then a little faster, then slowly again. It is the rhythm of something that has awakened, a new spark of life that is about to blossom. From calm blue to soft pink, from vital yellow to fresh, clear green. The work is illuminated by an extremely varied chromatic palette characterized by extremely watery and light colors, colored air that infuses vital energy to the sinuous black lines, to the mosaic tiles that, once again, characterize Kawarano's work. Now the composition is no longer monochromatic. Now the mosaic tiles are no longer white, pure and white. Now the catharsis has been completed. The artist's is a long process of metabolization and self-knowledge and "Bloom!Sing" is nothing but the transposition through lines and color of this intimate journey. Kawarano's soul has blossomed and shouts to the world all its uniqueness and essence. All we have to do is look and get lost in this symphony of colors and lines.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Kawarano
Bloom!Sing!
Kazuki Sonobe
Kazuki Sonobe presents “Objects in the Mirror” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. We can distinguish a fluid presence depicted with light tones rendering it an ephemeral moment. A reflection of yourself can make you feel like home reminding you of past relatives, a reflection of objects are often meant to be chosen as a point of view. A mirror’s reflection can be a limit or a possibility. An example of a possibility is Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass” where creative events are possible and an example of how a reflection could be a limit, is the tale about “Narcissus” by Ovid, where he feels compelled and stopped by his own reflection. Kazuki Sonobe accepts the limits and possibilities from the artwork, in order to portray how we perceive ourselves with several possibilities and how we are perceived by others with numerous limits. The artwork will be perceived by others and in that moment the artist is releasing a personal judgement to restore it as a creative expression of an ephemeral moment rendering it an important presence.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
Kazuki Sonobe
Objects in the Mirror
Kimberly Kullberg “How would you say you are, or are not, "in" your work? I'd say I'm totally in it - it wouldn't be there otherwise." (Sarah Lukas) A statement of self-confidence, an invitation to proudly celebrate one's uniqueness. Kimberly Kullberg has been painting for as long as she can remember, and through her daily painting practice she has come to understand the value of her own unique soul and imagination. She decides not to care about the opinion of others and not to follow any trends, she chooses to be true to herself, no matter what. This work is a feminist manifesto, where a woman decides to simply be herself, to paint what she feels like, to do what she feels like and to not give a damn about the rest. A woman who speaks to other women, not only with her example but with her own art. A direct dialogue with the viewer, a straight sentence: always do what you want. The brushstrokes, the colors, everything suggests a balanced choice, close to the western aesthetic canons, the figure of a female face with light skin, big eyes, full and vibrant lips, thin hands and long fingers. The adherence to shared aesthetic canons, however, does not detract from the message, what we like and what we are is authentic. Feminism in art has led to extraordinary results, socially speaking. It has cleared customs of female sensuality as seen by women, as a choice not imposed, it has declared to the world that a woman can be active in her bed and may even want to show it but that remains her business. Sarah Lukas among all has shown how a woman has the right to be herself and to show her pride. Kullberg is following the masters for her own vision and path.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Kimberly Kullberg
You are unique
Kintoki
All around is darkness. Our sight is blind to the darkness of the night. All around is silence. Our hearing cannot perceive any noise except the almost imperceptible sound of snow falling to the ground. Snowflake upon snowflake. The air is cold, dry and icy. Our bodies tremble in the grip of the cold and we gasp in search of a foothold. Suddenly, our hearts warm up. We stop gritting our teeth, put our feet to the ground and stop walking. The feeling of tranquillity that has begun to pervade our limbs is inexplicable. We no longer feel cold. All our senses are inoperable, only our sight has caught something strange. A tall, elegant and beautiful woman. Long black hair delicately frames her snow-white face. Slender and elegant, she offers her side and scrutinises us with her gaze. Is it real? Does what we are seeing belong to our world? Who is this beautiful woman? There is no time for questions, let alone answers. The woman approaches, looming over us, silent and deadly. Darkness. Kintoki gives voice to the Yōkai, spectres and demons belonging to the vast world of Japanese mythology. Through the artist's works, the ancient legends and centuries-old texts are revived and made known to the world. Although the Yōkai are very ancient, Kintoki's works are directly related to the contemporary world.
Kintoki
The settings as well as the clothes betray what is in fact an ancient story, making it look like something that has happened in the present day. This process of adapting ancient stories to our times has the power to infuse the images - and the viewer - with a strange disquiet, a sense of sinister foreboding that grips our souls. Are the spirits and demons that once haunted the dark nights and minds of men still with us? Kintoki has the power to make the legend real, to make us feel that strange feeling of apprehension to which we are no longer accustomed. And this is how Nekomata shows himself in all her sinister and disturbing physiognomy. A big two-tailed cat, dressed in traditional clothes, is playing a shamisen, a traditional Japanese musical instrument. Its sharp fingers delicately touch the strings and the sound box of the musical instrument. The melody is sad and almost desperate, full of a sinister resentment towards humans: that shamisen is made of cat skin and Nekomata knows it, we are sure. Just look at the fire that burns in her eyes. Kintoki gives voice to the Nekomata and these spirits, tells their peculiarities, tells their story. She revives the tales and legends of the past through digital art and collage and gives us works with an ancient and precious history. All we have to do is observe these mysterious protagonists and let ourselves be carried away by their obscure stories.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Kintoki
猫叉-Nekomata
Kintoki
雪女-Yuki Onna
Kintoki
鎌鼬-Kamaitachi
Kintoki
猪笹王-Inozasa Ou
Kitty Abberton "Art is not a luxury, but a necessity." (Rebecca West)
Kitty Abberton is a young artist with a remarkable aesthetic taste. In her works, fashion and art dialogue to create rich combinations of design and graphic innovation. Kitty is able to rework images, creating collages that lie somewhere between the old and the new. She explores different aspects of the contemporary world and compares them with the great art of the past. Her artworks are creative and original, a unique and overwhelming product. By combining several elements, Kitty creates works with an innovative and curious flavour that encourage the viewer to focus on every single detail. Her artistic process is evident in the artwork 'Icons only'. A woman lying down like an Olympian by Manet is resting on a pillow and a blanket that give an idea of her social status. The contrast between classical art and contemporary fashion is evident in the leopard print dress she is wearing. Surrounding her are controversial elements such as a bottle of wine, cigarettes, a glass and a laptop. The reference to the contrast between present and past is wonderful, given by the artwork in the background which recalls Pollock's action painting creations. Everything is studied to perfection, the structure, the colours. The atmosphere is suspended in time. A series of icons of capitalism and today's world grouped together to invite us to reflect on the ephemeral human existence, on how much time and history have changed our habits and way of life. Every single object tells a story, symbolises a concept. It is as if the artist wanted to tell "what the great painters would have painted if they had lived in the 21st century". She combines several historical eras to arrive at an original final painting. Kitty is very talented and skilled. She creates ambitious but at the same time fascinating and enigmatic artworks.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Kitty Abberton
Icons only
Kuei-Yuan Chang
<<I started to create generative art in 2021, and transform natural scenes, life experiences into artworks >>. To understand the work presented on the occasion of the international art exhibition F**K U, by the artist Kuei-Yuan Chang, it is useful to start from his consideration. As he says he starts from life experiences and feeling fascinated by it, he wants to translate what he sees in visual art. In the work titled Sky Mirror, he seems to describe us with a frame, his way of watching the sky and what he has discovered by this watching. It is easy for the viewer to feel hypnotized by the movement of the shapes in the composition. He seems to be involved in the motion of the video and in this way deepen is looking at the sky. Instead, the sky seems to be always too far from us, with the work of the artist Kuei-Yuan Chang we understand how near it is. In hypnosis we have the opportunity to watch also inside us and discover something new that we never knew. In this way the artist translates the experience made into his reality in this video art, in which we have the opportunity to leave what he has lived and stay with him.
Art Elisabetta Eliotropio
Kuei-Yuan Chang
Sky Mirror
Kumar Avinash “I just don't paint subjects... I paint emotions” (Kumar Avinash) Kumar Avinash is an Indian artist who is taking part at “F**K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery with two paintings. Kumar believes that art must have a story, a soul along with a sound technique and a visual appeal. To him, the thoughts and the inspirations are as important as the paintings and their subjects. In his first work, “Characterefferent”, a painting using a live model, the protagonist is under three different light sources of different colors, falling from different directions creating a unique value variation on the face. Referring to the title, the painting questions the characterisation of a personality.
Kumar Avinash
Character is defined in two ways, one by nature, defining the qualities of a species, other by society, defining the qualities of an individual. Which qualification is absolute? Is every individual either a "Character less" or of a "Good character”? How about character different, "Characterefferent?”. The second work is "Supposed to?". On the periphery, the painting portrays a busy Indian city, however, there is a deeper emotion! The feeling of entitlement makes us vulnerable to disappointment and if the feeling is logical even the mighty can lose. Vehicles not able to move when the lights are green can cause more pain and agony than the lights being red! “We are supposed to but not able to” is excruciating! A true and profound metaphor of life.
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
Kumar Avinash
Characterefferent
Kumar Avinash
Supposed to?
Kyla Balke
Kyla Balke is an abstract expressionist artist. Her minimalist style focuses the viewer's attention on the important themes that inspire her art. Kyla aims to convey her fight against social injustice and all forms of oppression, sensitizing the viewer to deepen these issues and to do the same. Art is a universal language understood by all and can be used for the purpose of fighting against abuse and oppression. Art for social justice has always had a strong impact, motivating the community to promote change and social transformation. Thanks to her art and influence, community members create movements and engage in activism to challenge social injustices. The artist takes a cue from her life and work experiences, giving voice to contents of domestic violence, segregation, the free choice of choice and speech, highlighting the inefficiency of the systems that should protect them. The work "Up the Tree" represents the reality of harassment at work and the humiliating of the victims in undergoing secondary victimization after reporting. Most of the time the victims are asked embarrassing questions and are often even blamed for what happened. The artist paints a tree trunk in the center of the drawing,a symbol of strength and loyalty, to denounce the fact that a neutral figure is needed to guarantee women psychological safety. The second painting "Determination is Liberation" is a denunciation against pharmaceutical multinationals that violate medical autonomy and freedom of choice. The painting is a gradient that goes from dark pink to white. The darker part of the painting represents humanity determined to regain her freedom, symbolized by the lighter part. "Return of autonomy" reflects the freedom to make decisions about life after a toxic guardianship. It is a painting that expresses all the amazement and even the fear of a person who knows he has come out of a negative period and can live again. The artist managed to bring back these sensations by playing with brushstrokes and colors. The large brushstrokes placed in the center of the canvas give the painting a sense of movement and excitement, the use the black color, flanked by more gaudy colors such as pink and red, indicates the uncertainty of this new situation.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Kyla Balke
Up the tree
Kyla Balke
Determination is liberation
Kyla Balke
Return of Autonomy
Laura Alonso “In every soul, like every house, there is a hidden interior behind the facade.” (Raul Brandao) Our life is often characterized by a chain of events that make it hectic and erratic; all that drags us into a vortex of feelings and emotions that end up overpowering our essence and soul. And it is precisely when you feel weighed down by the contexts and events in which our bodies move that it is necessary to recognize or create an own personal safe and protected space. In the midst of all these reflections, the surreal visual artist Laura Alonso focuses her artistic investigation, exploring all of the forms and shapes that this dimension could take. In order to externalize and to convey her innermost and deeper sensations, the artist resorts to the use of the moving digital art, creating a dreamy and soft scene, seeking an ethereal and romantic atmosphere. Through the employment of a delicate touch, mixed with a sweet mixture of colors, shadows and lights, Laura Alonso intends to recreate an otherworldly location made of peace and quiet, harmony and calmness, giving to the audience an escape route from this madness that hovers over reality. In her short digital sequences, the viewers could find a spiritual dimension, a remote space, where they could blend with the revelatory universe that surrounds them.
Art Curator Manuela Fratar
Laura Alonso
SOLO1
Laura Alonso
SOLO2
Laura Alonso
SOLO3
Lema Aydin Being on front of a blank canvas is the ultimate experience of freedom and joy (Lema Aydin) “A window to our souls, to our inner space, when I look back into my life I know that I faced betrayal, pain that left many mark inside me. Pain will go away but its mark will remain It will remind me that I AM STRONG, I AM CAPABLE and that tomorrow will always be mine. This artwork is realized by using acrylic medium and inks, mark-making tools.". This is Lema Aydin at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S., Chandelier is the perfect representation of the artist's interiority in a precise moment. It is the photograph of the state of mind of someone who, aware of the signs that life sometimes leaves inside a human being, reacts. On the canvas there is the liberation of the artist who, as if it were a sort of meditation, throws out her feelings. The benefit has two facets: the artist has freed herself of a part of herself that was ready to come out; at the same time the observer benefits from this. Two souls communicate: one frees itself, the other learns, acquires new emotions that previously did not belong to him, today they enrich him. The palette used and the artist's movements that appear on the canvas suggest energy, vigor, strength, desire to live, to learn, to fall and get up again.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Lema Aydin
Chandelier
Leo Viridis "The magnificence of the world has been enriched with a new beauty: the beauty of speed.” (Tommaso Emilio Marinetti) Self-taught artist Francesco Catanuso, in name of art Leo Viridis, has always drawn and painted looking for new forms of expression, and in recent years has come to digital painting. Thanks to the potential of this new medium, Leo is able to translate his creativity in a very short time, in any place and time. An exercise that is not just expression and story, his painting tells us about his thoughts and moods, in constant motion. In particular, the artist uses graphics tablets and optical pens, he draws by hand or he used vector graphics, then he prints the works on the canvas. For five years Leo has been screwing up a program called “Nigredo” which represents the phase in which matter must be decomposed in order to return to its primitive stage or in the condition of original chaos from which all creation began. In this phase, all the elements are destroyed so that they can be recomposed later in a higher degree of synthesis. In this sense, the alchemical process implies an experience of spiritual growth and liberation that pours into creativity and motifs that animate the canvas. Leo’s paintings takes shape directly from the imagination and not from direct observation of movements. It seems that the artist did not want to reproduce the superficial appearance of the essence, but how the different facets of the essence appeared to him; as in an inner vision. Infusing his subjects with life, Leo describes his agitation, as if his dense, swift, undulating painting were a reflection of his mental disposition and a transposition of a continuous flow of emotions. Through internal alchemical processes, the artist allows energy to flow without hindrance, uses his mind to explore the external territory and internal emotions to bring life to the canvas. In this way the movement flows freely, without blocks and visually and emotionally captures the viewer who is dancing to archetypal images, colors, shapes and images, and is accompanied on the inner journey that leads to new states of consciousness.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Leo Viridis
Le quattro forze
Leumas Roa “Art is an experience, not an object.” (Robert Motherwell)
The works of artist Leumas Roa describe his life, character, strength and passion. Since he was a child he has cultivated the love and fondness for pencil drawing and for the study of perspective that led him to oil painting up to the path of experimentation and exploration that concerns the most recent works. A constantly evolving style with different shades; from traditional painting, to abstract and figurative painting, to acrylic colors, to metal he has also come to experimentations with sculpture. In particular the sculptures are characterized by streamlined and dynamic forms, which free the intention and express the intentions in the artist's mind to the maximum. The strong character that represents all of Leumas Roa's works has deep roots, from different parts of the world. In particular, the Mexican ones are expressed with bright colors and the focus of the paintings that explode from the canvas, the African ones that recall the figures, the English ones that make us find a certain balance in the explosion of matter. The results has a great visual impact but also an emotional feeling; from a white background, we perceive living energy, a dynamic mix of lines that radiate in various directions supported by the intrinsic strength of color. The viewer, looking at the artist's works, can begin an introspective journey, guided by color, and is involved in questioning the themes of experience, perception and the study of emotions. This experience could be accompanied by background music, in order to allow the fourth dimension of the experience, the auditory one, precisely because the act of art can be a transitory instrument of life; it goes beyond the tangible functional object, it gives experience. From the works of Leumas Roa we experience what he himself felt in creating art, the right compromise between emotions and the right pains, he translates the experience of meaning for the viewer by creating an artistic experience with the potential to change the observer. In this way the artist gets involved and from a white, empty, anonymous canvas, he creates an explosion of color and shapes, discovering the intrinsic beauty of the canvas, exposing his thoughts and giving shape to emotions. For this reason, Leumas's art frees us from mental schemes, invites us to protest for the will to act and evolve, it is a sign of restarting as the beginning of a transformation.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Leumas Roa
Raptus Artistico II - a Creativity breakdown
Leumas Roa
EVOLVE II “Evolve or repeat, pick up your choice”
Leumas Roa
F**k U
Lex "The warrior knows that he is free to choose what he wishes: his decisions are made with courage, detachment and sometimes, with a certain dose of madness." (Paulo Coelho)
In some ways, the artist Lex is a warrior who knows how to dose courage and madness. In fact, his works of art are an interesting mix of these elements, he expresses himself with limitless freedom, thus performing a real act of courage. The artist Lex breaks through any barrier, does not stop in front of prejudice, does not allow himself to be inhibited by false preconceptions, he acts as he sees fit and in the way in which he feels free. Lex's works are strong, they send a direct message without too many frills, he manages to get to the core of the matter without going around it. Lex boldly, uncensored, inserts words like "bitch" or "fuck", perfectly embodying the idea of an artist free to express himself without limits. Not only that, he manages to be strongly evocative also in the work "Earth silence" where there are no explanatory words but which Lex manages to express himself through colors and shapes. A golden yellow square rises in a real way from a white background, comes out and physicality is perceived, it seems that it floats in space as if released from the force of gravity. A clear and decisive sign, like a spear that sticks, an arrow shot with energy, goes beyond the square, divides it but does not break it, the two elements are chained. As if each of them lived through the other. Lex creates a work of great aesthetics, highly elegant, in its entirety the image is of great impact. The artist has the ability to impress his works in the eyes and mind of the viewer, and to impress emotions and sensations in the heart of the beholder.
Art Curator Vanessa Viti
Lex
Bitch STOP calling me
Lex
Earth silence
Lex
Scrubble by Lex
Lika Ramati
How many times have we thought that we can never be enough? The world we inhabit is complex, intertwined, ambiguous. And we are just small drops in this vast ocean. We feel overwhelmed and breathless, as if we had run a long, indeed very long, marathon. And it is when we close our eyes and stop thinking that our thoughts become lighter. And we ourselves become lighter. Lika Ramati is an artist who loves to explore the border between chaos and balance. A very thin border, but full of energy and vitality, that Lika Ramati transforms into powerful images. It is precisely in that subtle border that life manifests itself in its facets, but incredibly wonderful. The artist dedicates the search for truth to the female figure: the woman is in fact the main protagonist of the works "F It", "F Media", "F Opression", "Fuck the Rules" where she embodies strength, boldness, courage, beauty, sensuality. The woman, in the works of Lika Ramati, is order and chaos at the same time. It is a desire to find a balance, with the awareness that it would be a precarious, ephemeral balance.
Lika Ramati
Woman is power, she is color. A color with a thousand shades, a bright color, which is released from the curves, from the enigmatic expressions of the women who inhabit the works of Lika. The blue, dominant color of "F Opression", also present "F Media", symbolizes the constant sense of dissatisfaction with what we see around us, what we live daily. But it is also creativity, it is the color of life, of water, of the sky. And the blue comes in contrast with the warm shades of "F it" and "Fuck the rules", where pink, red and orange concretize the most intimate sphere of the person. They are the materialization of femininity, love, passion, energy, prosperity. And women for Lika Ramati are metaphorically a palette of different colors, which mix, give rise to different shades, driven by the irrepressible desire to assert themselves in their beautiful complexity.
From the eyes of women I derive my doctrine: they still shine of the true fire of Prometheus, they are the books, the arts, the academies, which show, contain and nourish the world. (William Shakespeare) Art Curator Matilde Grossi
Lika Ramati
F It
Lika Ramati
F Media
Lika Ramati
F Opression
Lika Ramati
Fuck the rules
Lilia Vovk
Lilia Vovk is a freelance artist from Ukraine living in the city of Kharkov. At “F**K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, Lilia presents “Nothing for nobody”, a drawing made with graphite, white charcoal and color pencil on toned paper. The work portrays a woman who, intent on what appears to be a dance, is bent forward so we cannot see her face, but we can grasp only her back, the hands that poetically touch each other, the feet and a wide skirt that, moved by the great movements of the lady, opens up, partly caressing her body and partly opening in the air. This clever expedient used by Lilia generates a strong movement of the whole, while at the same time guaranteeing the possibility of capturing a precise moment of deep recollection of the woman, intent on a dance that involves her intimately and in which she seems to invite us to participate. Furthermore, Lilia's very skilful ability to render this scene in extremely realistic terms, also thanks to the play of light and shadow, allows us even more to immerse ourselves in the scene and want to know more about this mysterious woman and the reason for this recollection that we feel we share.
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
Lilia Vovk
Nothing for nobody
Lori Remmel "He who walks in the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana." (Buddha)
Lori Rimmel is an artist living in rural Pennsylvania, during the highest peak of the Covid pandemic, last March, Rimmel was able to dwell on the smallness of life that through the smallness of a screen, actually lives on. The intense reflection of the artist sends this filtered lifestyle to hell, combines the practice on three-dimensional support to a series of actions that use the web and the desecration of the URL world as a moment of personal and collective catharsis. Rimmel canceled her personal Facebook and Snapchat accounts, unfollowed her friends on Instagram as part of her artistic process. The artwork presented by the artist manifests itself as a woodcut print slightly larger than a plus size smartphone. She uses a naive screen shot as starting point, screen shot as quick note, note apart, a beginning of reflection, the longed-for innate photographic memory that now becomes a device memory and therefore a default memory. Screw this, Lori seems to say, putting her hands on it, reappropriating the content, its creation and its sharing. The return of the physicality of memories passes for the artist also through the manual reworking of the work: not only the printing on a thick and warm support full of history as the wood, but the need to intervene with the addition of beads and the action of sealing everything with a glove of resin. Artists have always put us in front of the unsaid, they show indeed, the reality of the time in which they are living and practicing. The artist's mission is to perform the life that lies beneath life itself, to manifest the undergrowth and the underlying understanding, bringing to light difficulties and beauty that would otherwise go unnoticed. Artists of all times must make all this chaos stop and guide us to the fucking nirvana.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Lori Remmel
NEVERMIND
Louisa L “Any true artist is going to explore the medium as long as he can draw breath. It would be grotesque to paint the same way, over and over all your life. It's a kind of freeze.” (Dorothea Tanning) Louisa L is a French contemporary artist who has been living and working in New York for a few years now. Since 2019, she has been working on a project entitled "NewYorkHer", where her artistic research is oriented towards the importance of the role of women in contemporary society. In fact, her artworks, in a fusion of tradition and technology, tell stories of women who have become an important example to follow. They are abstract portraits behind which difficult and important lives are hidden. Complicated lives of women in constant struggle with a society that still today has difficulty recognizing them as independent. Using a smartphone app, the artist gives the viewer the chance to interact with the story behind each painting, simply by framing the work with the camera. Each work is not only an extraordinary portrait of a woman who is currently fighting for her rights, but is also a much denser and deeper story, a video tale of the satisfactions and freedoms she has been able to find in the Big Apple. The city where the artist herself has managed to find her space becomes a meeting place for other women who have gone through the same experience. Her canvases, full of emotion, where lines, colours and details develop in space, are like the city, a place of possibility and liberation. Louisa L has transformed the traditional artistic medium into something universally readable, where the voice of the artist who becomes here the voice of many other women - meets that of the viewer. Hers is an invitation to look beyond and listen to the voice of an ever-evolving female world. Stories of women that in Louisa L's works are imprinted on the canvases with bright, luminous colours, in order to give hope to all the women in the world who are still struggling to make themselves heard.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Louisa L
Ariane NewYorkHer
Louisa L
Hillary NewYorkHer
Louisa L
Omayra NewYorkHer
Luciana Losito “You have to use emotions to think, not think driven by emotions.” (Robert R. Kiyosaki)
Self-taught abstract painter, Luciana Losito has always cultivated a passion for art and in particular for abstract art. Energy and positive charges converge in the abstract forms and represent the artist's soul thanks to dreamy vibrations. Indeed, the works of the Italian artist have a strong vitality, created by a mix of colors and shapes that come to life on the canvas. Sometimes words are not enough but shapes, colors and light are able to paint emotions transmittable to others and Luciana transmits energy to us, she paints with feeling and ardor her emotions that from thoughts become living matter on the canvas. We must therefore carefully observe the play of lines, shapes and colors, enter it and let ourselves be carried away by the emotions that stir in us by observing and looking inside us. The beauty released by art continually offers us new horizons. We should surrender to it but and let ourselves be carried away by the whirlwind of emotions; they are aesthetic emotions or emotional responses. We are looking at the drawing but it is also the image that looks at us. And this is what Luciana's paintings do, they look at us and take us elsewhere. She manages to create a sort of diary of feelings and emotions that is released through art with a visual narration of life experiences. Emotion is not only at the center of an individual but is expressed by life itself, by exploring forms, interpreting and creating the first artistic manifestations, the artist expresses his imagination and her creativity in the form of emotions. She plays with shapes, colors and patterns, without rules, letting herself be guided by the spirit of the moment and inspiration, giving life to innate objects that breathe, pulsate, emit light and heat. In some examples, a sudden and overbearing light emerges that disturbs the scene but also communicates a strength and power that do not stop on the canvas but also flow outside, directly overwhelming the observer.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Luciana Losito
NEW BEGINNING
Luciana Losito
PURPLE EMOTIONS
Luciana Losito
SHINE
Lucinda Bryan “Color which, like music, is a matter of vibrations, reaches what is most general and therefore most indefinable in nature: its inner power.” (Paul Gauguin) Lucinda Bryan learns from the greatest of masters, "close your eyes and paint what you see", said Gauguin. She takes inspiration from this movement of the soul that artists share, the imagination, pure, immaculate. No one knows where imagination can lead and yet we all, without exception, find ourselves using it on a daily basis, even unconsciously. The images in our mind, stand for themselves, we do not need explanations to appreciate or despise them, even simply to live with them. The paintings of Bryan speak to that part of us that is open to accepting the unknown, the illogical, perhaps the unreal. Different textures given by the painting and the use of cold wax do nothing but touch those common points of the human being, the childlike adoration of the object. The blues of winter, the frozen waterfalls, the light blue patina tending to white that transforms the landscape. Everything in these paintings suggests a known feeling of cold, understood as external, environmental rigidity. Something to protect oneself from. In front of these images we do not feel repelled by the unwelcomingness of winter, we feel rather invited to protection, to union, to the quality of our interior, perhaps of our life. A pictorial work of art is an object that did not exist in the world before. As users of the artwork, we find ourselves looking for footholds and supports to find a visual and intellectual connection between the image we see and our memory tied to reality. But it is in the power of instinct and imagination that we can enjoy the presence of the artwork, whether it is a stormy sea, a scratch or a thick fog of emotion, it is speaking right to us.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Lucinda Bryan
Hiver Bleu, Winter Blues 1
Lucinda Bryan
Hiver Bleu, Winter Blues 2
Lucinda Bryan
Hiver Bleu, Winter Blues 3
Luisa Barba The best freedom is to be themselves. (Jim Morrison)
Luisa Barba’s painting, God’s water, reflect all the items of F**K U exhibition. The color is the blue, with all his shapes, and we are cuddled by this color, we feel like something is finally opened to us, we are free, free to be painted, free to be touched, free to be free. The hands, main characters of this work of art, seem to be finally out of something that constricted them to hiding, now they are free to be themselves, they can touch everything they want, they can touch even each other. The geometric forms are in contrast, we can see the triangles on the background that strict the arms and the hands from up and down, and in the center two balls full of water, that give life to those hands, again alive, finally. Thanks to the technique that the artist has used for this work, acrylic on canvas, the line of the hands and their shape are very realistic, it seems that they can move in every moment, they can take life and grasp that water, they finally can whatever they want to be, without any cage. This work is a scream of freedom, undressed from any social, cultural and artistic form of constriction.
Freedom is a state of grace and one is free only while striving for it. (Luis Sepulveda)
Art Curator Laura Gabola
Luisa Barba
God's water
Maja Petrović
Maja Petrović is a Serbian artist again guest of an exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery and on the occasion of "F ** K U" she exhibits five works of different visual and communicative impact. "Abstract LET IT BE" sees a graphicization of the concept of seriality introduced by Andy Warhol, the colors are particularly bright, vivid and rich from a chromatic point of view, each detail is unique and expresses different emotions that can be perceived by the observer in different moments. "My HD" is a work in which the geometric element is central, there is a great reference to prints with an oriental character, which recall an aesthetic taste that began to be born in the second half of the 19th century under the orientalism label. The vivid colors, shapes and lines transport the observer as in a labyrinth made of details and ever new discoveries that stimulate different and contrasting emotions and moods. In "My Pharaoh" we find a deep appreciation for the primitivism of the subject rendered in the abstract, recalling what Picasso created in the work "Les damoiselles d 'avignon" in which he used African sculptures as models for the faces of the protagonists. "Target" highlights the oval shape, particularly relevant from an architectural point of view, it recalls the Baroque tradition from which it is possible to see a spiral vision of the same work of art. Finally, "The Crystal" works totally different from the previous protagonist element is experimentation, in particular the creation of different textures placed in balance with the use of color. Maja Petrović is an artist with a fervent aesthetic taste who allows those who are lucky enough to observe her works of art to be captivated by her mastery in the use of shapes, colors and materials.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Maja Petrović
Abstract LET IT BE
Maja Petrović
My HD
Maja Petrović
My Pharaoh
Maja Petrović
Target
Maja Petrović
The Crystal
Marek Silka Never complain, never explain. Resist the temptation to defend yourself or make excuses. (Brian Tracy)
The extraordinary characteristic of communicating and speaking a universal language to anyone is a peculiarity of art, regardless of technique or style. The formal aspect is nothing more than a "dress" that conveys a more relevant and significant message. For example, a message of freedom and self-affirmation of oneself and one's potential. This is one of the assumptions that moves the artistic intention of Marek Silka, a daring artist residing in Germany, who creates pungent and unsettling works, as well as of considerable visual impact. Approaching a work by Marek means abandoning all prejudices, and letting oneself be involved in the artist's self-determined will, as well as in a suggestive reflection on anarchy in art. The stylized duck depicted in *UCK symbolizes precisely this idea, also going to question the concept itself in anarchy in art, not only on a content level, but also on an aesthetic level.
Marek Silka
And the artist seems to put forward a question: can we also consider art that which is opposed to the canonical conception of art? Marek's singular creative flair pushes him to probe every aspect of his personal artistic "anarchy", daring with a continuous experimentation of materials, as happens in Blue Cocoon. The subversion of every preconceived rule translates in this case into a choice of materials not usually used in artistic change, such as industrial rubber, gelatin, pieces of pipes, modeled in a data sphere shades of blue and gray. What is perceived by observing the work is a systematic rejection of the rigid and limiting constraints of aesthetics, at the basis of which there is a curious and innovative verve, which strongly claims its uniqueness and is not afraid to demonstrate it, to shout it, to live it. A hymn to a visceral opposition to conventions, and a proud self-acceptance.
Don't compromise yourself - you're all you have. (John Grisham)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Marek Silka
*UCK
Marek Silka
Blue Cocoon
Mari K
Mari is the creator of worlds beyond comprehension, of universes that depart from the simple laws of physics. We find ourselves in places where time and space are not perceived. Spaces of worlds in which the laws of space-time are totally useless. Mari creates archetypal spaces where the instant - when represented - literally lasts forever. Art has the ability to narrate the unspeakable, the impossible to be told through science and mathematical laws. Art narrates our mind and consequently, it sings of impossible worlds, of universes that would be difficult to reach with technology and rationality. On the other hand we are talking about universes outside of space and time. How is it possible to reach a world that does not have these essential characteristics? A world that is not located in a precise point on the spatial map, a place that is not defined by the time it is living. So what are Mari's works? What worlds do they tell us? How can there be a place without time or space? A butterfly hovers within the composition. A butterfly with wings that recall bird feathers, a leitmotiv of the artist's production. Is it moving? What is there in that space? Illuminated by a pinkish light, almost as if it were bioluminescence, the butterfly hovers above and below a multitude of Red Spider Lily, a flower that symbolizes the arrival of autumn and with it the possibility of interacting with the beyond and the unknown par excellence.
Mari K
In fact, this is an unknown world and, like the realm of the dead, it is outside of space and time. This bubble of permanent staticity, this search for the archetypal and symbolic object and moment is extremely evident in A Cheap Novel. A wonderful chandelier - another recurrent element in the artist's art - is revealed at the center of the composition. All around, a bluish glow, cold and almost silvery. We can decipher the brightness of the crystal, the stones that hang down and the heavy shimmering mass hanging from a thin chain. Yet we can't make out anything else. What does the chandelier hang from? What is there beyond it in representational space? All our eyes perceive are whitish cracks reminiscent of lightning or frescoes aged by time. The backdrop is essentially dark, we can dimly glimpse structures, perhaps architecture but we are not sure. The artist has the key to decipher the space and time of this place. Everything is immobile, the image becomes an archetype. A recognizable archetype, a symbol that does not perish with time and does not change in space. The wonder of Mari's art lies precisely here: the creation of other worlds that we could never reach if not through art, the narration of a universal reality that is impossible to corrupt or modify. Not even time can do this.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Mari K
A Cheap novel
Mari K
Fly Away
Mari K
Remember who you are
Mari K
Walpurgisnacht
Maria “Painting is for me a sort of therapy that allows me to vent my pain and implement the good result of my inner demon” (Maria) The versatility of illustration, understood as an artistic field, has allowed this genre to develop constantly over time; drawing from countless artistic currents, adopting different styles and communicative languages, it is configured as a multifaceted universe, variegated, where the immediacy of the message strikes the observer with its apparent simplicity. In some cases, the mix between images and words makes the communication stronger and throws us into the artist’s imagination quickly. Like in Maria’s artwork, slogans and figures have the same worth and together contribute to explain the artist’s intention. Her personal story is fascinating: Maria is the alter ego of Chiara, a biotechnologist and financial advisor, who has decided to quit her job because it was frustrating and did not allow her to express herself. Chiara has thus adopted her middle name to create her artistic personality, born in the period of the Coronavirus pandemic, and started this new experience by using temperas, acrylic and oil paint on canvas. Maria loves to experiment with different materials or media and, without abandoning the painting, her research leads to digital drawing of which she appreciates the immediacy of the language. Take you vitamin C. Don’t be scorbutic. is strictly connected with the artist’s personal experience, read through sparkling humor that characterizes all her digital artworks. The main protagonists are oranges, cut in half and thrown in the sink, used by the artist to fix a juice natural remedy against insomnia, hence the title of the work. The message is clear and immediate, expressed through a caption that accompanies the image. As seen in it, irony is a fundamental component in Maria’s universe, since she aims to use it to invite us to reflect on humans’ interaction; it is also used as a tool to exorcise lightly fear and anxiety of everyday life. Maria’s artistic intent, not by chance, is inspired by eudemonistic (εὖ, good – well, δαίμων dispenser, tutelary deity) philosophy, and she says about it “painting is for me a sort of therapy that allows me to vent my pain and implement the good result of my inner demon”. Her style is another element that makes her digital drawing immediately recognizable. It is rapid and instinctive, characterized by the simplicity of the line, capable of transmitting the temporary nature of the message and its ephemeral nature.
Art curator Alessia Domenichini
Maria
Take your vitamin C. Don't be scorbutic.
Maria Alquicira “You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Maria Alquicira is a contemporary Mexican artist whose artistic research finds great inspiration in Greek mythology. Through an expressive language extremely connected with American Abstract Expressionism and Delaunay's Orphic Cubism, her paintings break down images of feelings and emotions into an intense visual dance, made up of multiple curvilinear facets. What her works have in common is in fact the need to interrupt the calm of the colours, with spatula strokes that alter their density and position. The Greek myths in Maria Alquicira's art take on shapes that change with the gaze, becoming emotional impulses for those who observe and enjoy them. For the artist, Greek mythology becomes the incipit with which she manages to shake her soul, which thus becomes the translator of sensations that give rise to the work. In "About Chaos and Creation", Maria Alquicira tells us about the importance of love and its immense power. "First of all it was Chaos" says Hesiod in his Theogony, from which Love (Eros) was born, "[who] of all gods and of all men tamed in their breast the heart and the wise counsel". This work, so intense and energetic, is nothing more than the translation of an immortal feeling, which has always belonged to man. A complex feeling that is impossible to control. The tortuous movement of the spatula strokes, combined with the intermittent fusion of bright colours, transmits a passion and transport that envelops the spectator, awakening dormant feelings. Maria Alquicira's work is an invitation to remember the teachings of the past, throwing the observer into Chaos in order to reawaken Love.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Maria Alquicira
About Chaos and Creation
María Sánchez
María Sánchez is a Venezuelan visual artist, designer, and journalist, who mainly works with digital art. Particularly fascinated by dual nature and emotional illiteracy of human beings, Maria intends to explore in her works the thousands of worlds that exist in each of us: aspects of neuroscience, psychoanalysis, quantum phenomena, A. I, and conscious work of the self are in fact present in her practice. At “F**K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art gallery, Maria presents “Habit Loop”, a digital painting (acrylic) on fine art paper. To be represented on a white background is a human face of which we see only large eyes, highlighted not only by a bright pink make-up, but also by colored fingers with different glazes that try to hide them but at the same time reveal them. The particular aspect lies in the fact that one of these eyes is also reproduced above the person's forehead, increasing the estranging and alienating sense of the representation. “Habit Loop” is in fact part of Neuroplasticity series. It focuses on the ability we all have to sculpt our brains: through dictates and schemes imposed by society, it tends to mold itself and to conform to all the others, without shining through its uniqueness and ability to make itself free. Maria's art then insists precisely on this: on the possibility of breaking free from such patterns, learning to free our minds from limiting ways of thinking and behaving. Going beyond what is called "normal". After all, what is normalcy really?
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
María Sánchez
Habit Loop
Marine Bass Marine Bass was born in Geneva, Switzerland. They graduated in 2D Design (illustration and comics) at CFPAA in 2012 and then they has become a bookseller for living for almost ten years, in which they kept drawing, by taking part in exhibitions. It was in 2019 that they fully rediscovered the art and the world of abstractionism, driven by the anxiety that forced them to find a new way of expression. In 2021 Marine became a full time visual artist giving vent to her creativity. Their works fully convey the meaning of the exhibition "F ** K U": walking off the rails and coloring outside the boundaries, giving vent to their own expression at 360 degrees. Their techniques vary as well as the media that are used. The artist experiments, creates, gives vent to their own freedom and creativity, showing themselves spontaneous and without limits. As they defines themselves, their artworks are direct and unplanned, by creating in the observer a destabilization and curiosity feeling. For the M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, Marine Bass exhibits three artworks. In "Et pourtant j'avais apporté des capucines" we can see techniques and chromatic references similar to the other exhibited work, "Forgotten at the station". The blue strokes are soft, sinuous, spontaneous and isolated. These rest on a colorful and chaotic background, and in some cases they host words that recall the titles of the artworks (i.e. Recherche gourmet; du bon goût; sommeil...). These writings are engraved on the dry brushstrokes, as well as scratches that we find in some parts of the artworks. In "Forgotten at the station", we find a more chaotic and crowded situation of traits and technical experiments. But it is with "Seeking for balance" that the beholder can grasp a sense of pure disorientation in front of a work that leaves one surprised and asks questions. The title of this last painting seems to be almost an invitation also in order to seek the balance between the features of the work, in order to be an active part in its final conception. Marine Bass's works are not just simple representations: these artworks put the public in a moment of exploration and questioning of the work.
Art Curator Angela Papa
Marine Bass
Et pourtant j'avais apporté des capucines
Marine Bass
Forgotten at the station
Marine Bass
Seeking for balance
Mario Louro “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) No compromise, no fear of the judgment of others: face every day always being yourself and fighting your own battles. The contemporary Portuguese artist Mario Louro’s works convey exactly this message. Nice characters animate his paintings through expressions and gestures, starting talks with the viewers. The three works analysed were created in 2021 with the acrylic on canvas technique. YES FUCK YOU: say goodbye to the conventions that are imposed on us, choose freedom as a rule of life. Freedom of thought, speech, action. Be yourself, always. In YES HASTA LA VICTORIA the protagonists are strength and determination. Do not stop at the first obstacle but continue your way with courage to the finish. Enjoy the journey and let yourself be overwhelmed by the flow of emotions. In the two paintings described above, hands play the main role: sometimes words are superfluous, a simple gesture tells much more. In TERRI & TORY! ... two dogs look at whoever observes them beyond the barrier: a mysterious alien and three other characters represented with the Mario’s unmistakable style. Puzzled and at the same time curious expressions characterize their faces. Will the dogs be able to break down the wall or will they stand still? Give free rein to your imagination and try to hypothesize the ending of the story. In Mario's magical world the characters he designed are metaphors of real people, colors have symbols, and each work communicates a message.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Mario Louro
TERRI & TORY !...
Mario Louro
YES FUCK YOU
Mario Louro
YES HASTA LA VICTORIA
Marita Bardakjian Nothing in life is stable, and everything is possible. We are moving entities with water flowing within us and so my art must be like water flowing within (Marita Bardakjian)
The wonderful and complicated inner universe of women at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S. Faceless, without a clearly delineated form, Marita's women are barely noticeable, yet through gestures, through body language, through the brushstrokes and colors chosen by the artist, the viewer can immediately understand the mood and emotions expressed by the three women depicted. The interiority emerges in the world of art, just as in the one in which we live, there is no need to speak, no need for degrees actions, words. If these works had a sound, this would be silence. The soul of the three women is perfectly described thanks to the mastery, the talent of Marita Bardakjian. A silent moment is the first artwork presented "its simplistic shape, the balance of colour, and texture allow it to stand out, as the upright fetal positioning of the figure suggests a state of meditation and introspection" this is what the artist says. The colors, the moods that the artist lets transpire remind us very much of Picasso's blue period. The work is universal because the feelings expressed are the deepest, which overcome cultural boundaries and belong to the human being as such. For this reason Marita possesses a communicative capacity out of the ordinary. About Consumed she says "One doesn’t need to look at a woman’s face to guess her feelings. Often, body language subtly reveals it to us. Self-sufficiency is the theme of this piece, as the supple and graceful frame suggests a struggle to fend for oneself". Finally, "strenght and tenacity" are the adjectives to describe Resilient. It is about the great innate strength of every woman that allows you to get up and start again when necessary.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Marita Bardakjian
A silent moment
Marita Bardakjian
Consumed
Marita Bardakjian
Resilient
Marta Carceller Marta Carceller is a self-taught Spanish artist who transposes her emotions onto canvas, channelled and rendered in the form of elements and patches of colour. For Marta, art is a fundamental tool for getting to know herself and making her emotions tangible, transposing them onto canvas. In her darkest moments, art has been the medium that has helped her overcome difficulties, giving her hope, strength and courage. Marta is a creative and original artist. Her creative journey starts with elements that are part of her everyday life and that have a close connection with her emotions. Her style is refined and elegant and lies somewhere between abstract and figurative, creating a dimension where time stands still and objects become ethereal. Marta feels alive when she paints and this is evident in the expressive and communicative power of her creations. Her strength, energy and passion are transmitted to the viewer who immediately feels involved. She is a spontaneous artist, letting herself be guided by her emotions during the artistic process, without being afraid of being vulnerable, simply letting herself go. The initial idea may change during the course of the artwork and the final result is always unprecedented. In the painting "BLUE TEAPON", she chooses to use a limited palette, but thanks to the use of black and white, she is able to create different shades and give three-dimensionality.
Marta Carceller At the centre, the protagonist of the artwork is a teapot with geometric shapes and studied volumes. The object is pervaded by light, which illuminates the surface and the table on which it rests. Light is the key to interpreting the work, as if to signify the energy that pervades our daily lives. The texture created by superimposing coloured pigment over the drawing is interesting, underlining the artist's personality and intuitiveness. The final effect is harmonious, transmitting tranquillity and giving strength. The colour is left free to wander, to drip, to create layers and superimpositions. This concept is also taken up in the work "OLIVERA". The dripping colour merges with the drawing and modifies it. The protagonist is a majestic tree reminiscent of Mondrian's series with different artistic influences. The colours are warm, enveloping and the atmosphere is enchanting. The foliage of the tree is thick, enriched by different shades which contribute to the refinement and spontaneity of the painting. The brushstrokes used have different textures and thicknesses, underlining Marta's painting skills. Her artworks often have a single protagonist who is taken in by the surrounding atmosphere, inducing reflection and meditation. Marta is able to create marvellous works starting from intimate and inner emotional states that she projects onto the canvas, deciding to share them. She reveals herself to be a curious, enterprising and daring artist who loves to experiment and never stops wanting to know and learn.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Marta Carceller
BLUE TEAPOT
Marta Carceller
OLIVERA
Mavi
A delicate, graceful female figure is standing against a wall. It’s portrayed half-bust, looking straight ahead, her face slightly reclined on one side, her demeanour somewhat faltering. An azure butterfly is resting on her hair. No colour, though, crafts her complexion. An absolute monochrome makes the woman stand out of the background wall. The only exception are her iridis, of a luminous purple, and the teardrop sliding down the cheek. Immediate is the emphasis given by this contrast. The choice of the monochrome cannot be casual, as it cannot be casual the detail of the skin. Under the shadowed upper portion of the face, a cut seems to be visible. From here the features change and seem to be those of a statue, craved in marble, with cracks spreading on the neck. It is almost as if the human face is emerging from a shell. These peculiarities convey a complexity not perceived at first glance, stirring different sensations, of paralysis and, at the same time, of liberation. The skin is also the only surface not covered in writing. All the rest of the artwork is, indeed, a collage of inscriptions, taken from newspapers’ articles. The black letters fade in the bright cyan and pink of the wall’s bricks. The titles are straightforward and unforgiving. Little room is left to personal interpretation and there lays the boldness of the artwork. No vagueness, no obscurity, no chance to look away. The title is placed on the top of the depiction, imposing, feeling almost like a reprimand. The female figure may be the only character in this digital painting, but all society is involved and forcefully implied in the artwork. And what at first sight seemed the gracious portrait of girl, now rises as a symbol.
Art Curator Ludovica Petracca
Mavi
In Humanity We Trust
Melissa Hin
Melissa Hin is an American artist for the first time guest of an exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of "F ** K U" she exhibits three works evidently influenced by the current of abstract expressionism, in particular by the technique devised by Jackson Pollock, that of Action Painting. The colors, and the emotions they convey, are the tool that Hin uses to express herself and are the same inspiration as her. In the works on display there is a clear search for herself on the part of the artist who wants to express her essence by eliminating the superficial superstructures that would not allow emotions to escape freely. Hin's artistic expression contains an important evocative and communicative power that creates a balance between the technique used and the colors. "Stand Tall" combines the technique of Action Painting with Fluid Art, a contrasting mix also given by the choice of colors used: red, black and white convey balanced but contrasting emotions, both chromatically and emotionally. Red, black and white are colors present in all three of her works of hers, this indicates a predilection on the part of the artist in the use of these colors that she uses in a masterly way in the realization of her works of hers.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Melissa Hin
Blended Realities
Melissa Hin
Cardinals Rule
Melissa Hin
Stand Tall
Michael Gardner "Noble dragons don't have friends. The closest thing they can get is an enemy who is still alive.” (Terry Pratche)
A fresh and interesting body of work by Michael Gardner. Bright colors and references to the aesthetics of comics and graphic novels, there is perhaps a bit of Japan in his subjects, mostly animals, for example Iguanas used a symbolic representation of regeneration and renewal or birds and dragons as figurative representation of moments of life. Gardner builds images from nothing and considers this process without rules and without expectations as fundamental. To hell with technique and composition, perspective and brushstrokes, this artist works on his own life on a freewheeling basis. Eyes, mouths, teeth. Animals, carnivorous plants. Everything suggests a harmony that is about to be achieved while at the moment of the painting we find ourselves inside the battle. A sense of predestined hope. If on the one hand we can see the twisting of the artist's emotions and thoughts, on the other we notice a kind of peace, of consciousness, the author seems to communicate through his paintings that he is superior to everything, that he watches all the flowing of the waters of life as we know it, waiting for his enemy. This sentence is exactly what it should be, a fucking statement.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Michael Gardner
Iguana
Michael Gardner
A Bird and Her Young
Michael Gardner
Infinite Energy
Michel Jesse
Michel Jesse is a German artist educated in California. Born in Italy, he spent his childhood surrounded by art thanks to his father who was an Italian painter, sculptor and professor of Art History in Padua. The beauty and rich cultural history of Veneto had a big impact on him as an artist as well as he inherited the curiosity for the world from his travel journalist mother. In fact, he lived in the USA and Australia, where he had various artistic influences and where he had the opportunity to see the work of the contemporary masters. What emerges from Michel's artistic path is the genuine spontaneity of the ability of his technique and what he feels with dynamism and vitality, constant elements of his paintings. For the “F**K U'' exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, the artist decided to show two of his masterpieces: “Berlin bei Nacht” and “Rose”, two abstract paintings.
Michel Jesse
The technique that he used for both is stunning: the artist uses spezial colours on plexiglass to create the composition and then he seals it from behind with a suspension. Thanks to this, the colours of these works are even more bright and they seem to shine. Red, pink, blue, white, black, yellow: there is an explosion of colours on the plexiglass with drops of paint that give dynamism and immediacy to the work He plays with paint and technique to create an unique world that distinguishes the art of this great artist. The paintings are cheerful and charming, visually extraordinary. The joyfulness conveyed is revealed in the colours of the acrylics he used. The agglomeration of these is an agglomeration of thoughts and feelings. The artist shows the ability of his technique and the familiarity in the use of colours, his strength personality shines through his work to get straight to the viewer who is dazzled by so much explosion of light. His influence by pop art is evident for the colorful works, with immediate but not obvious impact, the works have a great charge which allows to reach the big public in an irreverent and unconventional way.
"The idea is not to live forever; it is to create something that will" (Andy Warhol)
Art Curator Federica Acciarino
Michel Jesse
Berlin bei Nacht
Michel Jesse
Rose
Michelle Hermes “I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” (Madonna)
Michelle Hermes is a Mexican artist who starting from the most genuine of media, such as pastel comes to devote herself to digital art more refined in recent years, such as the use of VR to make her works come to a life. Influenced by the world of comics and her experience as a creator of superheroes, Hermes tells us through her works of what settles in her soul and those bugs that protect it. Her subjects reveal themselves for what they are after a dedicated time of contemplation. There is a network of superstructures in the images of the artist who voluntarily, hides the true colors of what he depicts. She dwells on the superficiality of what the other chooses to show us, often polite kindness that does not even allow a kind of emptiness to shine through except through an almost glassy, soulless eye. Sometimes her subjects are characters from her visual novels, like Katrina, a witch and entrepreneur of herself or a much courted woman who doesn't know how to love. The works of Michelle Hermes want to tell stories, with which to find themselves in the evening. The description of these women presents itself as an antidote to so-called modern civilization by using the same language. A language that serves the artist to fight intensely that idea of feminine that owes something to society just for being a woman. Fuck that!
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Michelle Hermes
Many Colors in an Empty Soul
Michelle Hermes
Katrina the Eternal Witch
Michelle Hermes
Everyone Want it But No One Take it
Mika Ishikawa Eyebrow furrowing. Raising the corner of the mouth, widening the eyes, wrinkling the nose. Each emotion has a corresponding physical response that can be observed on someone's face. These facial expressions are universal across cultures and act as an involuntary way for humans to communicate with each other. When we encounter certain stimuli such as dangerous situations, when something interferes with our goals, or if a pleasant event happens to us, our brains send messages to various areas of the body via nerves and hormones that cause us to react accordingly without conscious thought. The ability to decipher facial expression signals is a skill we all believe we have and without it, in reality, there could be no social relationship. No matter how hard we try, the control of our facial movements has its limits: our real feelings always emerge and are sometimes translated into micro-expressions, i.e. involuntary changes of the face, which often last just a fraction of a second. The truth, therefore, is hidden in reality. Every thought, every disturbance, every emotion is marked by imperceptible changes in facial expressions. Every minute, every second, the muscles and nerves of our face never stop moving. Every thought is connected to a movement, every idea is at the basis of the change of expression, great or imperceptible as it may be. Looking at Mika's works what expressions are shown on the viewer's face? What feelings move the facial muscles slightly? It is impossible to remain impassive in front of Mika's "Public Diary" challenge. Her works act like real mirrors through which we can confront ourselves. We recognize ourselves in the frowning eyebrows of "Chocolate", we know well the fixed and motionless gaze of "2020, 2021, 2022", we have all tried to raise our eyes to the sky like the individual depicted in "People who feel, people who can't feel, people who don't feel". These works portray undefined human beings with labile and almost archetypal characteristics. Yet, in our innermost being, we recognize the closeness with them so much to think for a moment that they themselves are our reflection. We are making those expressions ourselves, unconsciously and involuntarily. Mika's works are an intimate and deep look at the human reality of things, at the detail that stands out from the welter of information that continuously bombards our senses. The strength of these works lies in their universality, in their closeness to anyone who looks at them. If we pay attention, we can feel our eyes widen, we can perceive our gaze become more somber or abandon our eyes to the sky. This is the merit of Mika's experiment, having created works that have a power of consonance with the viewer.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Mika Ishikawa
Three Drawings for Public Diary - Chocolate
Mika Ishikawa
Three Drawings for Public Diary - People who feel, people who can't feel, people who don't feel
Mika Ishikawa
Three Drawings for Public Diary - 2020, 2021, 2022
Miki Kanda
Water is a key element of the cosmos and life since the origins of Greek thought. Thales considers water the arché, that is the ordering principle of the world. Water allows life; seeds need humidity to hatch; embryos are conceived and grow in water; we are largely made of liquids. Water always appears in the theories of the ancient cosmologists: in Anaximenes water is part of the cycle of rarefaction/condensation; in Anaximander wetness is one of the opposites that allows the cosmic cycle; in Heraclitus, thinker par excellence of becoming, the symbol of the eternal flow of things is the river, where you cannot get wet twice. The human body is composed mainly of water, our life is born in water. The warm amniotic fluid cradles us and protects us from any danger from the outside world. We feel calm in the warmth of the womb and sounds are muffled. We are born in water, we are composed of water and we need water in order to live. Water as the creator and promoter of life. Water as the spark that ignites existence. Yet, water has multiple faces. A liquid element that shapes its purposes just as it shapes and molds its mass. It is liquid, insubstantial in its density and often inconsistent with the life it creates and indulges. Water as a destructive force, drowner of souls, usurper of land and creator of devastating cataclysms.
Miki Kanda
Life and death in a single, imperceptible molecule. Miki knows it well and her pictorial production is affected by the antithetical nature of water. The latter is, in the works of the artist, painted in its most varied forms, in its most imperceptible moods, in its most intimate and deepest shades. And so it is that a vortex unrolls before our eyes. With its centripetal force it attracts us, like a magnet, to the center of the compositional space. The oil color, fluid and brilliant, bathes our limbs and all of a sudden we find ourselves in the eye of the storm, watery waves and sea foam cloud our vision. Yet we feel calm, as if the water that grips us is warm. Amniotic fluid comes to mind as we sink into the depths of the sea. The use of oil color, with its vibrant and energetic nature, is the perfect medium to give voice to a subject as fluid and malleable as water. And so it is that the liquid sinuosity is transformed into a dancer who gracefully dances on her toes. The water, elegant in its movement, is the mirror of her steps; the dancer, ethereal and shining, is the reflection of the wave-like motion of the water. A calm and clear water, illuminated by the light of a winter dawn. Miki with her art represents the ambivalence of water, our relationship with it. Destructive force and emblem of life, our whole world is enclosed in a single tiny molecule, H2O.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Miki Kanda
Aqua Spiral
Miki Kanda
Aqua Dancing
Miki Kanda
Aqua
Miki Kanda
Aqua I
Mikoláš Klír Mikoláš is a talented young artist who works in both painting and sculpture. His passion for both disciplines is evident in his works. In them, the plasticity of the figures and the imposing masses are clearly evident. The artist places the human figure at the centre of his art, inserting it in a landscape context where nature reigns supreme and where man is the master of his own destiny and cannot dominate it, but can only learn to live with it by exploiting everything nature has to offer. The end result is a mix of different artistic influences rooted in the historical period from 1800 to the beginning of 1900. The influence of the pre-avant-garde and innovative movements that developed as a result of these studies is evident. The landscape also plays a fundamental role, the setting is studied, both in the colours and in the arrangement of the elements. Mikoláš creates dreamy atmospheres, almost surreal because of the silence and stillness they express and almost dreamlike because of the chromatic tones he chooses to use. His art has no limits, it breaks the boundaries of imagination merging with reality. In his work "Nike" his artistic skills, both expressive and communicative, are evident. Aesthetics and the study of art history have influenced the artistic process Mikoláš develops. The colours are contrasting and bright, the brushstrokes fluid and soft. The pigments are almost unreal because of how saturated they are. In a desert made up of geometric mountains and a sinuous sea, the light is almost unreal, magical. A man observes, almost in wonder, the rock in front of him taking the form of the beautiful Nike of Samothrace. Is it a hallucination? A dream? A game of his mind? Who can say. It is left to the viewer to decide. The human figure has no identifying features, which is why it represents a universal concept. The man enraptured by the beauty of art could be any one of us. Mikoláš's taste for sculpture is evident both in the quotation of Nike and in the masses with which he creates the landscape, which through a play of light give three-dimensionality and volume. Elements taken from Romanticism, such as the choice of a small human subject in contrast to the grandeur of the surrounding nature, and elements taken from Surrealism, such as the theme and the choice of colours, are mixed with a revisited and modernised symbolism. Mikoláš finds in art the possibility of expressing himself by revealing his inner world to the viewer. His artworks are fascinating and emblematic and encourage the viewer to immerse themselves in the dreamy atmospheres he draws. In art, whatever you can imagine becomes tangible and the artist demonstrates this.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Mikoláš Klír
Nike
MirandaMercy
There is something fascinating about ancient words, about reminiscences of times past that are reflected in the present. Poems and poems that tell of a time long gone but which, in the end, can be related to the present. The ancient word is transformed into an archetype and the events narrated in millenary narratives acquire a sense of universality: they go beyond time, history and societies to narrate events and sensations that contemporary man still enjoys experiencing. And so it is that ancient Chinese poetry combined with a love of nature generates MirandaMercy's works. The natural element, as we know, is subject to the laws of life and therefore death. In the plant world, life is transient; a centuries-old tree can be swept away by a strong typhoon, a period of drought causes grass, flowers and young plants to perish. Nature is driven by the cycle of life in a succession of existences that live, die and are reborn on the ashes of what came before. It is the wonder of life that every day is renewed, every moment is never the same and the future is yet to be written. On the other hand, we have the eternal words and letters that transcend space and time, the fruit of an ancient culture transmitted century after century and which has come down to us perfectly preserved. Poetry is human genius, centuries-old poems are the manifestation of man's production of culture. And the cultural element transcends space and time. It is not subject to the laws of nature and is created by man, the only living being who has the ability and the need to pass on his thought to posterity.
MirandaMercy
And this is how speech transcends physical boundaries, weather and changes in society. The human being needs this, needs a story that does not end abruptly at the end of the life cycle. We need knowledge and stories told by our posterity. In this way we can play with the rules of nature and have the semblance, even for a few moments, of challenging that cycle of life and death that all living things share. MirandaMercy's works are the fruit of the union between these two worlds that are so different in genesis and intent. The wonder of reading ancient words in images accompanies us on our journey of discovery through the artist's works. The sound of the word is melodic, the rhythm gentle and a witness to highly symbolic events and sensations. The mood, the emotions, the worries but also the landscapes and the elements that colour the ancient poems are all expressed through shapes, colour palettes and backgrounds, expressing at best what the soul feels when reading those poems. MirandaMercy, starting with photographs of landscapes and plant elements, produces works that tell a story. Based on ancient poems with a strongly archetypal character, these visual experiments have the merit of also becoming a symbolic element in which the human being recognises himself in the present and will be able to recognise himself in years to come.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
MirandaMercy
Du Mu, “The last celebration before falling apart”
MirandaMercy
Du Mu. “A Confession”
MirandaMercy
Liou, Yu Si. “The Alley of the Dark Clothes.”
MirandaMercy
Li Bai. “To say goodbye to Meng, Hao Ran at The Tower of Yellow Crane”
Mireille Goguikian On August 4, 2020 at around 6:08 pm, a tremendous explosion devastated the port of the city of Beirut, Lebanon, killing 214 people and injuring 7,000 others. This news story, which has shocked the whole world is the dramatic point of origin of the works, exhibited here, by the Lebanese artist Mireille Goguikian, who on that terrible day lost friends and neighbors and her house, along with her workshop, have been damaged. The anger and suffering of those moments are carried on her canvases and shared with anyone who observes them. Beirut is her source of inspiration, the protagonist of her works: a city that, with its colors and her life, its desire for life, has made the strength to shine again. As Mireille herself points out, the predominant color in her works is, after that fateful day, blue. This is because it is as if in that moment a wave overwhelmed and devastated her whole being. In her works, Mireille has always expressed her feelings and her emotions through colors. In this series of works, not only the colors, but also the materials are an essential ingredient for transmitting and expressing the message and mood that guided the artist in their creation. Through a network of meshes that represent bandages and fragments of glue that represent the shards of glass that were everywhere just after the explosion, Mireille represents the destruction that brought that moment but also the will of the city to heal those wounds and those suffering. In the work "4 August Blast of Beirut" the artist represents the exact moment just before the disaster, as we can see from the time indicated by the clock. In the other works presented here it is as if the artist were showing us snapshots of glimpses of the city, seen through her eyes and what she feels looking at them: fragments of moments, fragments of life, fragments of what remains, but of what which still can be. Through their art, artists have the power to show the world their world, physical and spiritual. With her works, Mireille transports us right between the houses of her city, between the suffering that this event brought, but also, above all, between the desire to start seeing the world again in color.
Art Curator Silvia Grassi
Mireille Goguikian
4 august Blast of Beirut
Mireille Goguikian
Shards of beirut 3
Mireille Goguikian
Shards of beirut 5
Mohammed Alsaad When you look long into the abyss, the abyss looks deep into you. (Friedrich Nietzsche) Our soul is complex, articulate. We have secrets, hidden traumas that emerge suddenly. We are joyful, bored, melancholic, sad, happy. An uncontrollable swing of emotions. But we are afraid to show our soul to others. So we hide, we wear a protective mask. For the artist Mohammed Alsaad art is a means to bring out our soul, our emotions, to connect us with others. “Repressed Feelings” represents the moment of liberation from the cage and armor with which we protect ourselves. The artist makes the girl’s deafening scream tangible. Probably the scream can make you think of the famous painting of Munch, where fear and anguish transfigure the face of the poor character, assailed by pain. Also Mohammed Alsaad represents and concretizes the pain that comes to life from the girl’s body. The torment that we live daily macerate our soul, we are overwhelmed and we do not find a balance. The invitation of the artist is to rebel, to take off the mask and scream at the top, to leave everything behind and to eradicate from our soul what causes us most pain.
By building your own cage, everyone learns to love it (Mirko Badiale)
Art Curator Matilde Grossi
Mohammed Alsaad
Repressed Feelings
Monica Esgueva “How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” (William Shakespeare) Monica Esgueva is a contemporary artist now based in Madrid. Her works come from a deep spiritual research, through which she discovers cosmic visions that seem to describe planets and nebulae. Her artistic investigation, in fact, develops around the concept of meditation as a means of seeing and discovering new worlds and new lights. In the triptych presented at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery on the occasion of the "F**K U" exhibition, there is an element that links the artworks: an enormous central eye becomes the point from which everything branches out, describing a universe full of moving details. Containers of light and beauty, her works are photographs of those moments of spiritual beatitude achieved through a meditative state. Appropriating an expressiveness that immediately shows the influence of expressionist and abstract art styles, her paintings are fusions of colours that disperse into each other in the form of spots, which get smaller and smaller as they move away from the centre. Centres described by circles where matter is annihilated, where thoughts are dispersed in the beauty of light and balance. In the work entitled 'Your Inner Light', a bright star rises in the centre of the painting, melting what looks like a sheet of ice on which run a myriad of cracks. Peace and harmony now reign over chaos, conveying serenity. Each of Monica Esgueva's works is an inner fire that burns, an intense light that is beautiful to look at. The artist's aim is precisely to transfer a little of her light into each of us, in order to awaken in our souls the will to seek our own.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Monica Esgueva
Central Sun
Monica Esgueva
Unconditional Love
Monica Esgueva
Your Inner Light
Monika Belinová “My illustrious lordship, I’ll show you what a woman can do” (Artemisia Gentileschi)
Monika is a fine hand painter in the service of her own emotional image. Her portraits can take a long time to be created and require great refinement to exorcise this desire to show oneself in an inquiring light. Imperfections of every kind constitute an element of uniqueness and through the brush they acquire a new dignity, taking their place in the history of the artist and of those who encounter her work. Women are subjected every day to unsolicited comments of all kinds, petty criticisms of seemingly small entities that creep into the perception of themselves. Belinová says a big fuck you to the voices that a woman is forced to hear and paints herself as she is, under that unique light that illuminates her and accentuates her shadows.
Monika Belinová
Looking at this artist's paintings, you can feel loud and clear the movements that were made to arrive at these images. Vertical brushstrokes on the background as if to generate a kind of sacred fire from which and towards which to head. The physical displacement of matter is also emphasized by the use of color, the change in temperature of the paint and the possibilities opened up by the mixture of earth tones. Art has the fundamental role of a funnel for dense, saturated emotions. With love, fuck you, she says, to those who are not her, to those who judge, to those who discriminate, to those who will never understand her.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Monika Belinová
Devil's women
Monika Belinová
With love
Mumumu A destroyed face. A distorted physiognomy. Flesh and flaps of skin that change their location, change colour and texture. The warrior is exhausted, devastated by violence, desolate by the fate of man. He is alone, with nothing left but himself. Against a dark, uniform blue-purple background, his face appears. But can one still speak of a face? His limbs are distorted, it seems as if we are standing in front of an African votive mask. The face is exaggeratedly elongated; the eyes are red, perhaps wet with blood. The skin is cold, bleak and bluish with silver streaks running through it at every point. Then, something incomprehensible: a fuchsia space, then a green one and an elongated pinkish element make up the nose. A little further down, an open mouth, panting and sighing, catches our attention. The lips are livid, the teeth greenish. This battle has taken everything from the warrior, even the strength of his body. All that remains is his mind, his thoughts and his identity. Yet there is something strange, something that breaks this deafening wail, a cry of pain and suffering. The right side of man's face no longer exists. Or rather, it no longer exists according to our usual conception of the image of a face. From the centre of the work, yellowish elements unfold, reminiscent at times of lightning flashes and at others of the wings of a butterfly. What are they? Are they real? What is their consistency? We do not know; only the warrior can know the nature of these elements. What is clear is that a transformation is taking place. A mutation of features that responds to a mutation of the sensitivity of the destroyed man. And this is how these yellowish flashes come to life. Animated by the warrior's little vital spirit, these elements are the fruit of the metamorphosis that is taking place in his mind. We are not talking about a Kafkaesque metamorphosis, what we are witnessing is a change in the personality of the person, in his way of dealing with the world and with human society. The warrior, devastated by the ugliness of war, does not give in to revenge, he does not let himself be overcome by the desire for blood. No. He is reborn into a new life, a new personality, a new individuality, the result of the elaboration and maturation of the events that had gripped him until a moment before. The warrior is saved, his soul has not succumbed to evil. Mumumu recounts in images the transformation of the human being. A change that destroys the brain, modifying thought and intentions to create a new personality. The warrior and the theme of non-violence, which has never been so topical in recent times, are represented by the artist through an extremely powerful mode of representation that uses the acidity of colour and the power of the digital medium to tell the harsh reality. The warrior has understood that war is unacceptable, he has understood that violence is meaningless. We watch his limbs in transformation and listen to his thoughts.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Mumumu
Vasta
Mumumu
Boy
Mumumu
Untitled
Mutsuki Hashimoto Only Hope remained there in an unbreakable home within under the rim of the great jar, and did not fly out at the door. (Hesiod) Mutsuki Hashimoto is a talented emerging artist residing in Japan. Art became part of her life in adulthood, and it soon became a privileged instrument of expressive freedom. The passion for painting with alcoholic ink has had the opportunity to emerge and grow, so much so that it reaches a level of great technical and stylistic quality. But Mutsuki also conveys an uncommon depth of meaning, which involves the observer even more and invites him to admire her works with great emotional participation. The work presented for the F**K U exhibition, entitled Pandora's box - alludes to the famous Greek myth of Pandora, the first woman, who unwisely opened a box containing all the ailments of the world. The artist represents this moment on a white canvas, veined with seductive shades of black and gray, which develop in the upper and lower part of the composition. The circular motions of the alcoholic ink almost seem to touch each other in the center of the picture, like the delicate flower petals. The artist, in fact, focuses on the positive value of the myth, which contrasts with the negativity usually associated with Pandora. The grace of the work alludes to hope, the last element left inside Pandora's box. Mutsuki intends to exalt this aspect to the maximum degree, focusing on the similarity with today's world. The work is an invitation to recognize the value of hope, which is always present in the life of each person, even when the frenzy and anguish of modern life seems to prevail over everything else. A wonderful message all the more effective the more it is expressed with the silent - and perhaps for this reason even more eloquent - language of art.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everyone will respect you. (Lao Tzu)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Mutsuki Hashimoto
Pandora's box
Nadeen Baba “However paradoxical it may seem, myth hides nothing: its function is to distort, not to make disappear.” (Roland Barthes)
Walk with your face to the sun, illuminated, the darker the expression the stronger the attraction of light. Blinding light that turns into a black spot in the eyes of those who look at it, it is better to hurry up and perhaps move into the night so as not to risk being blinded, distorted. Distortion also comes from the world of non-genuine beauty that surrounds us, in which we immerse ourselves more and more deeply, ending up in the so-called rabbit hole. The frantic search for relief, for light generates illusions and therefore continuous disappointments, which weigh and overwhelm the soul according to Nadeen Baba. The artworks of this artist are powerful and dense with layered but never collided colors. Big amount of solid tones right in the face, a hard punch to be awaken, to be able to fully enjoy reality, rather than fight it. The author tells us about a disillusioned universe, where the urgency is to know how to move in the dark waters of pain and reality for what it is. The distortion of one's own condition worn like a brush, masks from which one cannot or perhaps is no longer able to free oneself. How art can lighten minds that have become too stratified is not clear, but it is perhaps the only possible beginning. Baba begins by giving us a visual key, by opening one of the infinite doors, with her pictures she exposes the spectator to the fragility of those who raise their heads for the first time from their desks, from their desks, from under the ground.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Nadeen Baba
Distorted
Nadeen Baba
Allusion
Nadeen Baba
Disappointments
Natália Gerbocová Art is a reflection of your soul.
True art is never a choice. It is an innate and unstoppable vocation, which cries out for the desire to emerge and express itself. Natália Gerbocová's artistic career seems to embody all of this. Since childhood, Natália has shown her creative aptitude, which she has also indulged with a prestigious academic career. After a long hiatus from the art world, Natália returned to her first passion with a renewed desire to show her worldview with the universal language of abstract painting. The artist's works are created with the intention of giving a soul to the environment in which they are found and of communicating with the viewer in a silent - but eloquent - dialogue that speaks directly to the most intimate sensations and emotions. The work presented by the artist on the occasion of F**K U - titled Butterfly effect - seems to perfectly embody these assumptions, and projects the observer into a space dominated by shades of white, gray and black. The artist grants the pleasure of immersing the gaze between the veins and the blurred contours of the acrylic without indicating a univocal interpretation, and allows the viewer to be amazed the more he dwells on the details of the work. Only the title gives a vague clue, with reference to the butterfly effect studied by Edward Lorenz, alluding to the ability to overturn every limit even with a single element, no matter how small it is. This also leads us to glimpse the soft outlines of two butterflies facing each other between the upper and lower part of the painting, transporting the imagination far beyond the confines of the canvas, to be guided by the artist's will not to limit the contemplation of the painting to a cold technical and stylistic analysis, but to make the observation itself a constructive, emotional and unique experience.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. (George Bernard Shaw)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Natália Gerbocová
Butterfly effect
Natalia Koren Kropf
Natalia Koren Kropf is a Russian artist living in St. Petersburg. With a career full of exhibitions and events, Kropf arrives at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery on the occasion of the "F ** K U" exhibition in which she exhibits three digital works that clearly refer to the artistic currents of the twentieth century, in particular the futurist current that focuses on the dynamism of the forms that develop in space, on the energetic movements and impacting that arouse the lines. The freedom of expression of the three works on display may refer to a closeness to Kandinsky's abstractionism, the artist's choice not to place a figurative subject as the protagonist of the works leads back to the symbolic value of shapes and colors. "Ancient Whispers 1", Ancient Whispers 2 "and Ancient Whispers 3" are works in which movement is central and focal point of the whole work, the observer can follow and analyze every shape, curve and detail feeling catapulted into a profound labyrinth that leads to getting lost without wondering what the emotional and mental destination is. The colors used, on the one hand the blue that brings back to calm and relaxation, combined with red and orange, which recall energy and vitality, create an extremely pervasive chromatic contrast and impact for the soul of those who they look at the works.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Natalia Koren Kropf
Ancient Whispers 1
Natalia Koren Kropf
Ancient Whispers 2
Natalia Koren Kropf
Ancient Whispers 3
Naz Yologlu
The sensory sculptures of Turkish artist Naz Yologlu, known as NAAZ, are enveloped in an intimate and poetic essence. Naz looks to Nature, the great Teacher and inexhaustible source of nourishment and inspiration, and allows herself to be influenced and enchanted by the surrounding environment, bewitching and mysterious. Attracted by the Matter, Naz feels something alive and throbbing in it: the artist works and follows the marble, through a patient and silent dialogue, smoothing out corners and growths with sweetness and delicacy, and frees the image that her mind has prefigured, crafting an idea of continuity. Despite the hard marble from which they are carved, the Turkish artist's works seem to levitate: moving away from the typical static nature of the sculptural mass, Naz's creations are the result of an organic process in mutation, in constant becoming, and stimulate our senses to embark on a journey of discovery of forms and perspectives. In Divenire Naz creates, discovers, expresses and moulds, investigating the relationship of form in space, marked by the alternation of full and empty spaces.
Naz Yologlu
Holes and cavities are vital components of form: space penetrates into the sculptures through holes and openings. Naz investigates the fluid, iridescent and sensual dimension of the material, digging and smoothing the onyx, welcoming life into the voids she leaves inside. The extreme softness of the modelling, the purity and sinuosity of the shape, the morphological variety of the veins in the marble, convey a wide spectrum of sensations and a vortex of stimuli, which grow from each other in an endless dynamic movement. Naz sculpts a material that is apparently static and the equal to itself, yet ever new, in continuous perceptive metamorphosis, the expression of a beauty that bases its nature on becoming. In the ongoing renewal of her existential experience and her creative construction, Naz shines a light on the fluidity of the link between the plant, mineral and human worlds. Experiencing the unceasing transience of the world, the sculptress embraces the stream of a harmony that gushes out freely and spontaneously in and around each of us. Everything flows, everything is restored and transformed, everything lives and acquires meaning, precisely by virtue of its impermanence.
Art Curator Maria Teresa Cafarelli
Naz Yologlu
Divenire I
Naz Yologlu
Divenire III
Nicco Gulie "The purpose of art is to represent not the external appearance of things, but their innermost meaning." (Aristotele)
Born as a musician, Nicco Gulie bases his artistic poetics on the juxtaposition of neo-expressionist and cubist elements, generating works with a strong aesthetic impact. Colors, figures, symbolisms are combined with a skilful use of energetic colors to give life to a work that digs and investigates the artist's deep inner world. Through the use of the word, Nicco Gulie manages to conceive an even more powerful and direct expressive charge at work, putting the observer in contact with a parallel world, not tangible, which seems to coexist with our rational world. The artist creates worlds with depth and connection utilizing symbolism and composition to demonstrate the depths of existence. The resulting sensations range from the initial disorientation to the total confidence that is created between the observer and the work of art. No conditioning or limitation by the artist, who delegates the task of creating a deep connection with the soul of the viewer to the visual language and precise symbolisms, who can navigate in complete freedom within Nicco Gulie's artistic universe.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Nicco Gulie
CMXXVII
Nicholas P. Kozis
Nicholas P. Kozis exposes for the exhibition “F**K U” at the M.A.D.S. Art Gallery six works (“Alexandria 4”, “Alexandria 5”, “Charged Fields”, “Devi 80s #1”, “Devi 80s #2”, “Devi 80s #3”) through which he mainly expresses two fundamental concepts: the universe and female beauty and the importance of color as an optical-perceptual tool. In fact, through “Alexandria 4” and “Alexandria 5” the artist focuses not only on the sensuality of young women, but also on the predominant use of red and the different shades connected with it. In the first work this shade is more vivid and deep, perfectly representing the girl's passion. Her tanned skin echoes both her slightly wavy dark hair and the nuances of the background, placed at the bottom of the scene; while her white tank top radiates the surrounding atmosphere like the beam of light coming from the upper right-hand corner. In the second work, Nicholas opts for a palette tending toward orange and yellow, still utilizing some hints of red especially in the meadow. The young woman is in a position of complete relaxation, although her face is immersed in a dimension between dream and reality. Around her, numerous flowers emphasize her purity and ease. This importance for color can also be observed in the series “Devi 80s #1”, “Devi 80s #2” and “Devi 80s #3: Nicholas reworks the concept of the female body by inserting it in a context typical of American Pop Art and advertising graphics. In this way, the artist is able to go beyond the simple figurative representation, giving every single detail a new coloristic energy. Through great creativity, brilliance and liveliness of the figures, Nicholas manages to transport anyone into a spiral of vitality and freshness, where the shades become the protagonist as much as the young women with their innate beauty, managing to interact with the emotions and moods of the viewer. Finally, in the video “Charged Fields”, the artist accentuates more and more this mastery of color combined this time to the progressive and dynamic change of forms, capturing the attention of the viewer and immersing him in a continuous play of light and graphics that touch his optical-sensory sphere.
Nicholas P. Kozis
Alexandria 4
Nicholas P. Kozis
Alexandria 5
Nicholas P. Kozis
Charged Fields (detail from the video)
Nicholas P. Kozis
Charged Fields (detail from the video)
Nicholas P. Kozis
Devi 80s #1
Nicholas P. Kozis
Devi 80s #2
Nicholas P. Kozis
Devi 80s #3
Nikki Hill-Smith
Nikki Hill-Smith is a professional artist from England, graduated at the University of Brighton in Fine Art Painting and Art History. For Nikki, the joy of being a painter is the daily challenge to conjure a dynamic formal language from the almost infinite. The subject matter is paint itself, or perhaps pigment, or even just ‘matter’. The dialogue is with grammar, the language of painting. Laws of chance and order held in check. At “F ** K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, Nikki exhibits three works entitled "309", "365", “376”. Strongly abstract, they present a "vocabulary" of images made of signs, circles and drippings made with different techniques that if at first they seem to be placed in an extremely random order, we then understand how strongly they are studied. This "vocabulary" then becomes a tool to be able to tell stories and make us participate, in abstract terms, of a world of which we are part but which is seen and reproduced with different eyes. The resulting work emphasizes the physical act of painting itself: through automatic gestures and procedures, unconditional and spontaneous gestures that respond to an internal and pre-established order, Nikki's paintings are therefore an explosion of matter, colors, shapes and images, fragments of stories to admire and enjoy aesthetically.
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
Nikki Hill-Smith
309
Nikki Hill-Smith
365
Nikki Hill-Smith
376
Niko aka Dionyss Whereas the beautiful is limited, the sublime is limitless, so that the mind in the presence of the sublime, attempting to imagine what it cannot, has pain in the failure but pleasure in contemplating the immensity of the attempt” (Immanuel Kant) Niko aka Dionyss' artistic practice is like an immersive journey into the dream dimension. Images that can only exist in those corners of the mind that are activated during the rem phase. A natural way out that brings everyone together speaking the same language. Fantastic animals make fleeting appearances among flowers and plants, lights and colors like auras of guiding spirits present only for us. These pictures have the flavor of something unique, special and inaccessible. They are made of the same material as secrets. A magical moment born from the layering of celestial bodies that in this case take the form of roses, hydrangeas, deers and artificial lights. Dionyss' work begins with a gift, a camera that was gifted to him, and so it maintains that emotional aspect of the, these works of art seem to arrive in our lives as gifts chosen with care and joy, something that can arise only in one’s hands, tailored somehow. Images as delicate and dedicated gestures, the contrast with a sort of consumerist frenzy of images is strong. Not only does the artist not seem to be at all interested in this kind of fruition, but he forces a diametrically opposed observation: he suggests a long contemplation that pushes to catch the details, the spirit of the work as such. There are different ways to rebel against one's own context and the personal fuck you of this author is one of the most sublime.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Niko aka Dionyss
Ashes
Niko aka Dionyss
Emptiness
Niko aka Dionyss
Guardian
Niko aka Dionyss
Hope
Niko aka Dionyss
Silence
Nilla Ekberg
To understand the way to intend the art and the meaning of the painting presented on the occasion of the international art exhibition F**K YOU, by the artist Nilla Ekberg, it is interesting to start from her consideration, as she says: <<I am led by curiosity and confidence that everything will work out good. I never know how my paintings will be; it is something that emerges during the creation process and in collaboration with the painting. I just want to have fun and share the joy of being creative! >>. This means that the composition made by the artist is a pretext for her to feel free to go where her creativity wants to go. Starting from the first painting presented titled ‘In my garden’, on a bronze background, we can see different shapes of flowers that stand out. The representation seems to be real and does not want to create a mystification of the reality but to represent these elements correctly, as if the artist feels fascinated by the flowers and feels inside the desire to represent it. The second painting presented is titled Thinking. In this composition the technique used is so different. In fact, in this case we can talk about action painting. The composition is created by the violence of the gesture of the brush beyond the canvas. The artist does not know what she wants to produce but abandons herself to this action and to the freedom of the art. The third painting titled Window, presents another technique. We can see in the center of the artwork the image of a window and on the bottom two animals that stand out to see what is outside of this window. These two characters seem to involve the observer in this action of watching and in this curiosity. As if they want to communicate the idea of curiosity and the expectation of something that has not yet happened. With these three pieces of art we have the opportunity to understand that the artist Nilla Ekberg presents different kinds of languages and different kinds of expression to say what is inside of her, something deepest that belongs to her soul. She doesn't want to focus on one specific technique but every language used is useful to say what she wants to say truly, that maybe in the normal life she doesn’t have the opportunity to express.
Art Elisabetta Eliotropio
Nilla Ekberg
In my garden
Nilla Ekberg
Thinking
Nilla Ekberg
Window
Ninni Andersson "We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest." (Voltaire)
Ninni Andersson is an abstract painter, she expresses herself through color and shapes that come from nature and once filtered by her feeling are visually transformed into spots and paths. The artist takes inspiration from her own experience and her surrounding. Her garden becomes the sentimental landscape in which to enjoy the moment of waiting. Here is that, the passage of the seasons exposes body and soul to change, makes it fragile, treads the fluid and slow progress to open new spiritual doors. It is in the waiting that the body witnesses the life cycle, the discovery and the greeting, perhaps the abandonment to make room for a new birth. In this painting the eye of the spectator processes the image quickly, at the same time he can discover details that lead the reflection towards completely different directions. A spring blooming in the shadow of the arid winter. This work seems to be taking into consideration distant aesthetic influences, perhaps oriental ones that brings with it a shared sense of calm and historical poetic vibes, the almost forced introduction of reds as a point of rupture suggests a great desire to clarify its position of being turned to love, to openness, to the blossoming of the self. Observing this painting we feel fragile, at the same time ready to fall in love. Internal to the image of flourishing there is surely a great power struggle, an instinct to overrule the new to replace the old. Simple concepts that nature brings to light and the artist subtilizes, who we are and who we were become water in a constant motion mill that leads to extraordinary results.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Ninni Andersson
In my garden
Nino Arteiro “Change is inevitable, and that abides by reality. Metaverse is evolving by nature. Change makes saints sinners and vice versa. Similarly, dust becomes men, men become gods, and gods turn to dust.” (Robert Charles Wilson) Nino Arteiro is a Brazilian multidisciplinary artist. From drawing to performance, from poetry to video. Lately his practice focused on the production of NFT through his digital art. He has been working as a Crypto-artist since 2018 and participated to many Crypto-exhibition all around the world. NFT, Cryptoart, Metaverse are the most interesting thing happening now in the arts, in fashion, probably in real estate too very soon. Technically, a work of crypto art is a piece of content in digital format, uploaded onto an exchange platform, the sale of which is then recorded on a blockchain. In order to be sold, crypto artworks are converted into NFTs, an acronym for non-fungible tokens. These are non-divisible virtual objects that can only have a unique relationship to the work they represent. This brief introduction is just a little spot to enter into the artist's visual reflection on freedom. An artist who chooses to operate in the metaverse is clearly an artist who pursues the concept of freedom and not only pursues it but creates images that act as a beacon in the nights of oppressive reality, entering a new circle without masters. Arteiro's video works are striking for their imaginative force and aesthetic power. The glitch that is present in his works of art makes the vision distorted and repelling, as if there would be necessary to make a selection at the entrance of this stargate between IRL and URL, a quick blink to become ready to receive the new truth.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Nino Arteiro
THE JOY OF NOT HAVING A BOSS
Nino Arteiro
THE ECSTASY OF THE FREEDOM
Nino Arteiro
DEATH PUNK 306 (The birth and the death of an avatar)
noriko ue “We breath, therefore we create” (Erwin Raphael McManus)
Self educated artist from Kyoto, Japan, noriko ue works with painting. Ue’s art winks at the new popular imagination, at the refined ceramics of the souvenir circuit, at those paradoxes of sophistication and popularity of which craftsmanship is made. It is in this seemingly simple way that the work comes close to people. Historically, accessibility is an immense selling point for the artist's work. In the past, the works of the finest thinkers were placed and even generated for popular enjoyment. In fact, the greatest masterpieces are found in open spaces or places of worship such as churches or gardens. With the 1960s and the coming of conceptual art, people began to think of artistic practice as a mystery that could only be unraveled through a hidden intellectual key. The motto for understanding art was like: the harder it was, the better. So there was a certain departure from the idea of enjoyment of beauty, perhaps frivolous, light. Lately this inclination of let’s call it naiveness has been returning to the great institutes, the great foundations all over the world. Art as enjoyment. It is here that we find noriko ue's work as inserted in the right intellectual context. Figurative forms like a frog, embellished with flowers, decorations and embroidery in a scattered and copious order. The abundance of elements and bright colors for a harmonious journey into aesthetic pleasure, the authenticity of the image, and the intellectual importance of the accessible. A frog, with flower eyes. Beautiful.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
noriko ue
Contagious of kindness
NUBE arte digitale Lightness is a color in motion, a contemplation without words, a current that takes you to a different world. (Floriana Lauriola)
We live surrounded by people who give us orders, who tell us how to dress, how to behave. We must follow established standards: only then we can be accepted by others. All equal, ordered, subjects of a concept of perfection that does not really exist. NUBE Arte Digitale starts from this assumption to create a narrative, a story of rebellion, a "silent" revolution. And this story takes a very precise form: it fits perfectly within the perimeter of a small cloud, which moves gracefully in the sky. Nube Arte Digitale transforms through art the heaviness of the social atmosphere that surrounds us, in a poetic, light story. With extreme sensitivity the cloud is the spokesman of a universal message: "Stop" is the cry for help that we launch daily to heaven, the request to loosen the constraints and impediments, to return free to decide with our heads. To return to error, to stumble. And this also emerges in "Amazingrace", where the cloud lets glimpse the tattooed face of a Madonna. The invitation is to ensure that the man, imperfect and awkward, often ignorant and aggressive, returns to walk on his legs, without a spiritual guide, to rediscover the value of error, in a chaotic and oppressive world. This world tries to box us, to insert us into fixed patterns. "GOODGIRL" expresses the desire to turn our backs on this world. It forcefully affirms that the woman is special, that she cannot be locked in a cage, that she must be loved. Love is the only thing that can save us.
You have to kill the person they wanted you to be if you want to be who you really want to be. (Jason Pennycooke)
Art Curator Matilde Grossi
NUBE arte digitale
Amazingrace
NUBE arte digitale
Goodgirl
NUBE arte digitale
Stop
Nuts The lord of spring is the cherry tree. The blossoming of cherry trees is a very specific event in oriental popular culture, marking the beginning of rebirth, the explosion of beauty and at the same time the transience of life. Cherry blossoms take a whole year to blossom and the moment they open, the moment of their end has already arrived. As soon as they are born, they are immediately discovered to be fragile, and yet they are undeniably beautiful. The life of the cherry blossom is so short and so intense that it deserves to be experienced to remind us that beauty lies in the perfection of nature, and it is up to us to know how to enjoy it, even if the peak of its splendour lasts only one day, it is that very day that we must not miss. Man and nature are the union on which the oriental philosophy is based, man is not understood as a stranger, but rather he is part of a much larger and more articulated design that is that of nature itself, everything that happens on earth becomes a moment of reflection for man. Nature, with the passing of the seasons, marks time and man has the possibility of enjoying its evolution day by day through its flowers, its fruits, thanks to its light and its nights with a full moon or with clouds full of water. That is why the undisputed protagonists of spring are the cherry trees, because their deep roots are nourished by man's respect, because they are centuries-old trees, born long before the men who look down on them sitting on their picnic sheets. In "Hanafubulki" you can feel the wonder of the cherry blossom, the pinkish sparkle in the moonlight and the graceful delicacy with which the multicoloured foliage soars to the sound of the wind. One understands the slow, undulating movement the flower makes as it falls to the ground. Like a dance, marked by the beauty and transience of life, the petal detaches itself from its matrix, from the tree and from the lifeblood, to rest gently on the ground and return to the earth, continuing the perpetual life cycle peculiar to nature. Nuts is a work of art in shades of pink. Flesh pink, bright pink, up to fuchsia and reddish. There are so many varieties of cherry blossom, so many colours in the colour palette used in the work. Yet other colours also peep out of the composition. There is the yellow of the Monki butterfly that flies gracefully among the newly blossomed cherry blossoms; in the deep blue there are the full moon nights that illuminate the pink flowers with a silvery light; in the green there is the surrounding vegetation that creates a high contrast with the white purity of the flowers. And so it is that, in a completely abstract way, Nuts not only faithfully records the moment of observing the flowers blossoming, but also elaborates the emotions, memories, feelings and value of such a wonderful yet fragile life. "Hanafubulki" encapsulates the art of knowing how to enjoy the fleeting wonder that only nature can offer and, if this means waiting a whole year, then you are ready to wait, just to experience the blossoming of a new, powerful and delicate life.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Nuts
Hanafubulki
Oda Loui “All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.” (Martha Graham) Oda Louise Østbakk, aka Oda Loui, is a young contemporary Norwegian artist. Her artistic research revolves around thought and social behaviour, as well as the emotions and feelings that arise from them. Art for Oda Loui is a creative necessity, an intimate moment in which she can shape her own interpretation of the world, while continuing to discover her own essence. Her style, influenced by both expressionist and surrealist research, conveys emotions through colours and imagery in a dreamlike figurativism. The figures represented are not always immediately perceptible, given the play of lines and colours used by the artist to convey a sense of blending with the whole. In fact, the subjects represented often seem to blend in with the backgrounds, losing themselves in each other without a clearly defined boundary. For example, in the work "Oslo at night", we see a couple of figures who, enveloped in a swirl of colours, seem to be sharing a moment of sexual intimacy, while also blending in a chameleonic way with the surrounding chaos. Yellows, reds and blues outlined by thick black lines tell the whole story, catapulting the observer into a psychedelic world where everything takes on a new logic. Oda Loui seems to want to talk about a universe where everything is connected and where every choice modifies what surrounds us, altering space and time. Nothing stands still and everything is constantly changing within us and around us. Like a kaleidoscope, Oda Loui's psychedelic works are revealed to us as vibrant containers of multiform stories of seductive beauty.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Oda Loui
Depresjon
Oda Loui
Oslo at night
Oda Loui
Sexual
Oddblok "At the end of the day there are no rules in art." (Oddblok)
Oddblok sums up with this sentence the essence of art. At the end of the day, at the end of everything inside us there are no rules. And what is art if not the direct expression of our soul? Without limits and without rules, only emotion, feeling, life. The Swedish artist through the technique of digital painting and editing creates controversial works, distorted faces that express the interiority of his subjects and the essence of the moment. Oddblok uses the decomposition of space and forms to tell a psychological process. Like Francis Bacon, Oddblok disfigures his subjects, investigates the forms, and discovers their essence using disfiguring painting. "Hangover" portrays the process of breaking down a tired, unmade, confused face. The strokes used by the artist are thin, the lines of complementary colours give the subject a dull, greyish hue, as if the subject was immersed in a cloud of smoke. The eyes, nose and mouth with the cigarette still burning seem to fall, sliding down from a face that exudes fatigue, and above all, torment. The face is decomposed yet neat, each element is in a slightly different position than normal, but the face still maintains its harmony, the look does not lose its charm and the viewer follows that look fall, slides down with it, kidnapped by it. "Schizo" depicts a different stage of decomposition, more ordered, more focused on the magnetic and wild look of the girl represented. The fact that the eyes are taken up again and again from different points of view accentuates its charm even more. The silhouette of the face is only mentioned under the multitude of eyes and the mouth adds a sensual touch to the work. A different, more fleshy, almost deformed taste is the protagonist of Oddblok’s third painting, "Kiss Me". This work represents perhaps the most tired and tormented of her subjects, a girl with a hollowed face, with thin cheeks and heavy eyes. The artist decides to make visible the vortex of thoughts of her, a confused vortex, pink and blue, a vortex that covers the figure. Around her it is dark; the cold colours of the atmosphere and her skin make even more evident the pink colour of the vortex and the red of the lips intent on seeking a kiss. The same girl is also represented in "Mirror" and here she appears more reflective, here the eyes are taken around her face and underline her concentration. The colours are warm and enhance, once again, the true protagonist of Oddblok’s art: the look. The last portrait, "Cogito" depicts a woman intent on turning around, looking towards the viewer that has attracted his attention. The look is completely different from the others, the eye is ajar, lost in his thoughts, represented by very clear shades of blue and white, the same colours of her hair. The strokes of the design are similar to brushstrokes, follow different senses to represent the face, hair and background and make the atmosphere crystal clear, in stark contrast with the warm colours of the face. "Society" tells a different story, it depicts an expanse of machines and bodies without heads, animated but without conscience. Everything around them is cold and blue, the only exception being the light inside one of the machines that attracts the unthinking, passive members of society. The last work of the author is "The Club" and depicts two female figures who embrace, caress and let us just imagine the secrets that the walls of the club contain. Oddblok gives us true, introspective, and deeply focused portraits not only on the emotionality of the subjects but on the emotionality of the author himself.
Art Curator Sara Giannini
Oddblok
Hangover
Oddblok
Schizo
Oddblok
Kiss Me
Oddblok
Mirror
Oddblok
Cogito
Oddblok
Society
Oddblok
The Club
Ox'Art. Margaux Laneyrie
Recalling to mind the vertigo given by the movement the artist herself makes while dancing, the five paintings exhibited at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery during the ‘F**K U’ exhibition are well representative of the importance that the act of paintings means to Margaux, the artist, herself: <<Art is a show, it is a life experience, an immersion in an elsewhere to be shared>> and it is significative the size of the paintings too that reflects the performance and so the transcription of her feelings and sensation while creating. OX’Art paintings are always full of numerous elements that animated the scene, not only physical elements, or objects but also colours’ movements created by her sneakers soles that give that dynamicity characterizing the piece. In these five paintings, each of one representing a ‘vertigo’, the main character of the artists’ creation, similar in their concepts and symbols, but they show some different experiences when using different colours. The choice of the colour to use is very significative in the artist’s paintings because this choice reflects the aim and the meaning that she wants to transmit. As we can see ‘Dans les airs’ the softer painting, has its attention focused on the center of the canvas, where the main subject, the vertigo is refigured as a sort of ghosts or divine light illuminating the whole scene. The title is well defined by this ability in conferring the sensation of lightness that can be associated with the aim of the exhibition too. We can in fact read this painting as the arrival point, while the ‘Petite Danse Picturale’ as the passage immediately before, when – as it is visible also from the softness of the vertigo refigured – the character is escaping from all the strongness of the colours and the rules of the others three ‘L’Univers’; ‘FILA’ and ‘4,3,2,1. Et un jour’. Made up of the same colours and the same rigidity they can personify the stiffness imposed by the nowadays society, from which we have to escape and to react. Significant is ‘4,3,2,1. Et un jour…’ with its geometrical elements composing some crosses that seem to make difficult the movement of the two vertigos, unable to react. The lines, the elements surrounding and fluctuating into the scenes, create a boundary from which, remaining coherent with the concept of the exhibition, we have to escape. Margaux makes it possible through her dancing movement.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Ox'Art. Margaux Laneyrie
Dans les airs
Ox'Art. Margaux Laneyrie
Petite DansePicturale
Ox'Art. Margaux Laneyrie
L'Univers
Ox'Art. Margaux Laneyrie
FILA
Ox'Art. Margaux Laneyrie
4,3,2,1,. Et un jour
Padma Bhatt “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." (Confucius)
Padma Bhatt is a contemporary Austrian artist who, influenced by the research of the twentieth-century surrealist movement, roots her art in the terrain of the unconscious. She experiments with freedom on her wooden supports, letting what she feels flow onto them without limits. Her works are characterized by a delicate and elegant language that describes and tells of distant worlds, whose forms are unknown to the logic of reason. Slight colourful nuances are dispersed in space, inhabited by female figures of sweet and sensual beauty. Her paintings have certain elements in common: we often encounter bare black trees whose branches extend out to embrace the entire vision. Another important element for the artist is the word. In fact, the viewer often encounters short phrases that encapsulate the meaning of the work itself, becoming important reading keys. In the work entitled "Scary World", a depiction of a dream world opens up before our eyes. A beautiful young woman comes dancing out of a dark gash surrounded by beautiful blue-tinted flowers, while all around her are a myriad of details full of beautiful strangeness. Not far from the centre a sentence reads: 'Each cell is capable of a variety of tasks'. With this work, Padma Bhatt explores the deep connection of our mind with our body, and in particular the strength and power the former has over the latter. The pain and fears we feel are also automatically perceived by our cells, which behave according to what they sense. The pain that we often inflict on ourselves is a great source of inspiration for the artist's research, who through this painting wants to make us aware of this force that belongs to us. A strength that we can decide how to use, choosing to look with new eyes beyond the gash, remembering that there is also so much beauty all around.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Padma Bhatt
Scary World
PaintbyPJ/Petra Josefsson “We’re a couple of shooting stars, biggs and we’ll never be stopped.” (George Lukas)
This work by Petra Josefsson travels through space like a crazy spaceship whose engine runs on the combustion of the artist's own feelings. This painting involved acrylic paint, spray paint, leaves, a broken knife, two bottles of wine, and a love affair. A trail of color that is a legacy of something that just happened. Something extraordinary, something intense, something whose light continues to illuminate the darkness of a starry night that witnessed. The natural element seems to give an idea of perspective. From where are we observing this painting? What is the point of view that the artist wanted to indicate to us as valid? The sensation is that of lying on a clear beach, in the night, under the moonlight and thus having the fortune of witnessing the passage of this emotional comet. Each of us has lived the experience of waiting for the passage of a shooting star. This painting takes us back to an adolescent dimension of falling in love and romance. Waiting for the magic. Many artists have worked on the concept of waiting and revelation but in this case we are dealing with the production of the magical event and the eve of it. A splitting of pleasure in time, here and now but also before and after. This is what the work of art can do, its power: make us witness a story but not only, make us take part, become protagonists, connect us with our emotions and our desires. Art does not show a precise point of view, but leaves it up to us to find one. Petra recommends looking up at the sky, shaking off the leaves, waiting for that moment of private beauty that only we, in this case with her, can recognize.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
PaintbyPJ/Petra Josefsson
Space Vomit
Palina Kasino "Life obliges me to do something, so I paint." (René Magritte)
Palina Kasino is a promising young artist living and working in Germany. Interested in contemporary world events and social issues, her art allows her to express strong concepts in a visually engaging and fascinating language. In her artwork "Fuck capitalism" she creates a game of overlapping collage elements. The result is unusual, energetic and communicative. Various details, writings and cuttings are inserted on a black card. The symbolism of the chosen shapes is clear: it is a protest against today's capitalist world, which is only interested in material things, money and power. The mixed technique used by Palina allows her to create various textures and surfaces, making the work always appealing and never monotonous. In the centre, a spinal column is transformed into a candle and divides the collage into two parts. Magazine cuttings, drawings, hot glue and letters with an old-fashioned font decorate the surface. Palina invites the viewers to rebel, to do something so that the world can change and can break free from the dynamics that have marked recent years. The artist emphasises how the widespread attitude is that of not caring and how this can lead to a tragic epilogue: self-destruction. Palina communicates through shapes and colours, enclosing strong and unequivocal meanings in lines and objects. Each element is surrounded by a luminous profile, as if to underline its three-dimensionality in comparison with the background. Today's man, not caring about the corrupt system in which he lives, will eventually destroy himself. By not rebelling, man is subjected to a passive impotence that is destined to destroy him. Palina invites people to act with his art, gives an ultimatum and hopes that the spectators will grasp it. Certainly the work is as fascinating as it is enigmatic and communicatively powerful. The artist has the ability to bring the spectator into her world, involving him by using elements that he knows and with which he can identify.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Palina Kasino
Fuck Capitalism
Pall He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe. (Marcus Aurelius) Pall is a young and versatile artist living in Argentina. Her great creative aspiration leads her to understand art as the means by which to answer some great questions of humanity, and to delve into a profound study of the material that creates the surrounding world. The artist tries to reproduce the multiple possibilities of existence through the infinite ways of shaping matter, thus reaching a real awareness of its essence. However, it is not just an external awareness, since what inspires the creative moment is given by the support of sensations and emotions that flow from the inner cosmos of the artist. This double tendency to internal reflection and external communication fits perfectly with one of Pall's favored materials, glass. It corresponds to the artist's desire to combine the solid surface with the possibility of seeing through it, creating a different play of light at every glance. Inside - the glass sculpture presented on the occasion of the international exhibition F**KU - is a successful example of this artistic conception, and immediately captures the look of the observer for the vividness of its colors, played in shades of orange and yellow. The work is built on a set of superimposed glass layers, creating a play of textures and transparencies, which vary from the center (thicker and more colored) to the edges, thin and transparent on the outside. With this fascinating union of elements, the artist seems to lead a broader reflection on the contemplation of the tangible world, recognizing a correspondence and harmony between it and the most inexplicable movements of the soul.
One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside. (John Lennon)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Pall
Inside
Parth Brahmbhatt "In the kitchen it works like in the most beautiful works of art: you don't know anything about a dish as long as you ignore the intention that gave it birth." (Daniel Pennac)
Chef and, at the same time, self-taught artist trained in recent 2021, Parth Brahmbhatt has transported the qualities and skills of the culinary one into his personal artistic world, creating a real fusion between two worlds so distant but, at the same time, similar. The need to expand his creativity has prompted the artist to try his hand at creating colorful, energetic and brilliant works from a chromatic point of view, which partly recall the color of some culinary foods, with the conscious intention of expressing what, through cooking, he never managed to convey. The creativity experienced in the kitchen merges with the pictorial one, generating works where inspiration and creative freedom are the undisputed protagonists.
Parth Brahmbhatt
In connection with Leonardo Da Vinci, his greatest inspiration, Parth Brahmbhatt's artistic poetics formally recalls the evocative and immense world of astronomy, cosmology and, more generally, science. In the works of Parth Brahmbhatt the reference to science and the universe is strong: particular geometric shapes and colors such as gold and blue stand out among all and lead the observer to imagine a journey into the universe, within the immense and colorful landscapes created by the artist's mind. Creating art is, for him, a therapeutic action, which pushes him to investigate the most hidden parts of his being, to then represent with vitality and harmony on the canvas.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Parth Brahmbhatt
Hallucinating
Parth Brahmbhatt
At The End Of The Glacial Cave
Parth Brahmbhatt
The Portal Opened After 450 Million Years
Parth Brahmbhatt
Explosion On Frozen Geometrically Land
Parth Brahmbhatt
Creating Fusion Power
Parth Brahmbhatt
The Cosmic Bird
Patricia Denis Titeica <<Follow your genius, but never ignore the signals: they have already showed you the road>>
With this sentence Patricia Denis Titeica defines what the painting, ‘Too Late’ - with which she joins M.A.D.S. Art Gallery’s ‘F**K U’ exhibition – represents. The main character of the scene is a young lady, depicted at the center of the canvas, surrounded by numerous natural and symbolical elements, personifying the Universe. Life, as the artist herself claims is a chessboard contended by two players: you, your instinct and your essence, and the rules imposed by the society and so, the Universe itself. The ability of the artist lies in using this figurative element as if it was the lady’s hair, painting it on her head, as to represent the great influence that this way of living has on our lives, starting from our thoughts. Even though the meaning of the scene, the piece has a positive light, given using shine and brilliant colours that seem to represent a paradisiac landscape. It is just this the aim of this piece and of Patricia’s: to transmit a sensation of optimism into a difficult world. The owls on the right side are the symbol of what we define: ‘misfortune’ and they are properly inserted into a dark atmosphere, just to remind the moment of the day in which they are used to be active. Significative and of great importance is the gesture that the lady makes with her left hand - not by chance on the same side of the canvas representing the negativity – with which she wants to react and to cross towards the dark shore, personified by the owls, and to reach the left side of the piece full of yellow and big flowers. <<Paradise and Hell are here, around us>> we just must understand that there is always an escape hatch, coming first from ourselves.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Patricia Denis Titeica
Too Late
Paul Hartel
Paul Hartel is a regular guest of the exhibitions organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of "F ** K U" he exhibits three works, "False Testimony", a piece that blends a type of scratch typical of Urban Art and in which references to the current of Art Brut are evident. The pillar of Hartel's works of art is the creation that arises from the visceral impulse, from the interiority of the artist who rejects all stereotypes and prejudices. The artistic philosophy behind Hartel's expression is the existence of a child who is inside each of us, a child who allows us to see with the eyes of innocence and amazement, this vision of the world and of life is transposed into works and in the creative act. "Fk New Order" also refers to Art Brut, and in particular to Jean Dubuffet. The very bright colors recall the use of color by the Fauves. The prevailing mood that emerges is quite distressing, probably the artist himself experienced this mood during the making. Finally, "Out of Body" recalls expressionism, the absence of facial features recalls the works of De Chirco, but also Magritte, a real absence of identity, what matters is the shape, the lines that make up the representation. Very interesting is the union of abstractionism with the figurative element that is found in the center of the painting.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Paul Hartel
False Testimony
Paul Hartel
Fk New Order
Paul Hartel
Out of Body
Paulina Bours Gandara My paintings are mostly figurative, but I like to change my style as I learn new techniques, my last series have been a bit of a combination of realistic and abstract portraits, playing with mixed techniques (Paulina Bours Gandara)
“The artwork I am presenting is an oil portrait, for me portraits are the best way to capture the essence, feelings and expressions of the other from the painter’s point of view and I like that everyone interprets the model from their own perspective”. These are the words by Paulina Bours Gandara at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S., An intense portrait is that of Paulina, intense in color, intense in gestures and intense in the gaze of the woman represented. The girl in the painting is dressed in emotions, concentrated and closed in her thoughts, hermetic. The artist succeeds in capturing very well the somatic features of the woman, her physical details, but also and above all her feelings, her soul, her character. Inevitably transpires a portrait on three levels of reading, one purely related to aesthetic taste, one tells the interiority of the woman portrayed and a further reflects the soul and perception of the artist. The viewer, his personal conception of things and the world, will add a further level of personal reading.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Paulina Bours Gandara
Woman’s portrait
Rafael Ramos Jansson “I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe.” (Jango Fett)
The scenes depicted by Rafael Ramos Jansson, half Spanish and half Swedish artist, seem to come from a science fiction novel where reality has lost its familiar properties and perceptions. His are worlds, universes and figures inspired by the great minds that formed the artist’s childhood like the ones behind Star Wars and the Alien (franchise), where worlds and universes were “lived-in and by way of that very believable”. “My journey only truly started once I realised I could combine my interested in the unknown, creatures and spaces to find my artistic identity”, Rafael explains. The ‘set’ of Rafael’s science fiction illustrations includes neither prophetic warnings nor utopian goals, but unlocks elaborate scenarios where strange creatures, spacecrafts and battles are the masters. “Vita Sons”, “Finality” and “The Journey Home” are three different digital paintings depicting three different fantasy situations. Here, Rafael uses colours to perfectly convey different stages of a tense atmosphere. Whereas light blue is used to convey the feeling of one’s intimate research and rebirth in “Vita Sons”, a dark purple interrupted by a brilliant green light takes the scene in the battle depicted in “Finality”; while vibrant red flames represent a dangerous and unclear situation in “The Journey’s Home”. The three scenes appear to be different chapters of the same science fiction story, whose plot is still unclear to the viewers, who are free to fantasise and to create their imaginary story. With his digital illustrations, in fact, Rafael creates fantastic worlds, figures and situations, away from the reality we know with the hope to bring a bit of joy to the viewers, inviting them to see beyond the horizon, to travel with their imagination and to wonder in front of these spectacular and unexpected worlds.
Art Curator Martina Lattuca
Rafael Ramos Jansson
Vita Sons
Rafael Ramos Jansson
Finality
Rafael Ramos Jansson
The Journey’s Home
Randa Magdi
The art of Randa Magdi is a powerful and unconventional art, which does not allow itself to be dominated by constraints and rules. It is an art that reflects a lot of her personality, cheerful and lively, that she loves to break the mold. She doesn't want to meet anyone's expectations, just her needs to create something beyond her control of hers. Her source of inspiration are portraits. Her intent is not to capture perfection everyone has imperfections - but to capture the intensity of their expressions. The real protagonist, however, is the color. The artist is almost obsessed with it. Bright colors enliven the faces on the canvas, giving them greater emotional strength. The viewer is completely captured by the strong tones of the canvases and the penetrating gaze of the faces portrayed. In the painting "Alvapriya" a half-length figure is depicted on a richly decorated background with different textures.
Randa Magdi
Her strong colors are concentrated in the background, while her face and torso are presented in various shades of blue. The focal point of the painting is found in Alvapriya's large, penetrating gray eyes that seem to almost scan the viewer's soul. In "Sebastian" the artist depicts the face of a boy in the foreground. The bright colors are wisely used to create shadows and lights, giving three-dimensionality to the face. But they are much more, they are part of him. Through the use of bright colors such as red, blue and orange, the artist is able to express his emotional strength. His gaze is confident and proud too. Randa's art combines figurative art, characterized by the representation of real images, more or less accurate, with the intense colors of expressionist art, which aims to capture the emotional side of reality, to recreate festive and playful images.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Randa Magdi
Alvapriya
Randa Magdi
Sebastian
Ray LeBoeuf Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. (Oscar Wilde)
Ray LeBoeuf is an American artist of great versatility and artistic talent. His subversive and unique art draws its greatest source of inspiration from the contradictions of contemporary society, which imposes increasingly empty values centered on the logic of consumerism. The artworks presented by the artist on the occasion of F**K U represent a sum of Ray's artistic sensibility, which perfectly summarizes his artistic vocation in objects with familiar shapes, but distorted both in use and in their canonical aspect. Approaching Ray's art means being amazed by the overwhelming satire of the absurdities of the contemporary world, as happens in Environment No. 5, in which a globe covered in pink acrylic paint "leads on a leash" three puppies, also painted of a candy pink tint. Ray's experimental verve is also visible in Under the Influence, and leads him to upset an element known as a mouse to create something new and unpredictable, which fully reflects the inconsistencies of today's society. Also in this case the acrylic paint reduces the puppet to an empty and sinister simulacrum, a reference to the nullity promoted by the consumer culture. Malfunction - whose title is also written on the support canvas - expresses the same criticism, with a metaphor of great impact visually rendered by a snake head straw and painted. Like a bizarre trophy animal, the grotesque snake once again expresses the artist's ability to use ready-made objects to create something diametrically opposite in terms of depth of meaning. Ray LeBoeuf creates real visual satires, which manage to enclose the essence of the artist's thought in an extremely effective (and in a certain sense, amusing) way. But as happens with every successful satire, the surprise and the initial smile also leave room for a growing bitterness, derived from the simple observation that reality is not so far from the concept conveyed by the works. Ray's sculptures thus become a true and "merciless" analysis of the present, and a prophetic warning for the future.
What keeps the so-called consumer society going is the fact that trying to find yourself through things doesn’t work. (Eckhart Tolle)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Ray LeBoeuf
Environment Number 5
Ray LeBoeuf
Malfunction
Ray LeBoeuf
Under the Influence
Reynaldo Quijada "To create one’s own world takes courage." (Giorgia O'Keefee)
Reynaldo Quijada is an artist and filmmaker born in Caracas, Venezuela. Although he has a very distinguished career in film production, with awards and film festivals, drawing and visual art have a great importance in his life. Reynaldo is an all-round artist, passionate about several artistic forms with which to create new and innovative forms of expressive communication. Colour and light are fundamental to his work. In addition, he has a recognisable stylistic taste that helps him to create his own absolutely personal and recognisable style. The combination of shapes and elements he creates is always exciting. It is reminiscent of twentieth-century avant-garde art, in particular the expressionism and cubism of Picasso. The shapes he uses are essential, often painted with flat backgrounds and therefore lack three-dimensionality, but are very fascinating and enigmatic. In his work 'Camello y Platillos Voladores' he experiments with the technique of digital drawing. His craftsmanship and manual skills, his fluid gestures and strong strokes are evident. Reynaldo creates real stories in his works. Acting as a narrator, he tells the viewer an event, often an imaginary one. His imagination has no limits and he demonstrates this in this digital drawing where he combines a camel and spaceships. The shapes are stylised and coloured with flat backgrounds. The red of the background draws the viewer's attention and he feels projected into the work. For the artist it is fundamental to refer to an imaginary world, to detach himself from automatisms and always seek new and innovative solutions, thus distancing himself from the masses. This artistic process leads the human being to reconcile with himself, to take back the reins of his own destiny. Reynaldo invites the viewer to wander with his mind, to reflect on his true nature and to explore new possibilities, starting from his soul and feelings. He invites us to remove barriers, to free ourselves from assumptions and stereotypes. Art is imagination, and Reynaldo demonstrates this by juxtaposing simple, repetitive forms with spontaneous lines of different thickness. Everything in the work is well thought out, but at the same time it creates a free, dancing rhythm, free of any contours. It is impossible for the viewer not to feel part of this imaginative and original game.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Reynaldo Quijada
Camello y Platillos Voladores
Ric Conn
Ric Conn is an internationally renowned artist, frequent guest of the exhibitions held by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery exhibits five works with an evident subversive and controversial intent. The use of color and symbolism are the two pillars of these works that want to communicate the artist's thought on extremely important themes. The use of color recalls that of the Fauvists, for whom the color itself is a distinctive trait, that of Conn is an immediate painting that, thanks to the impact of the material used, manages to free the color itself from the reality that the color is called to represent. One of the recurring elements in Conn's works is the absence of facial features that in some cases recall De Chirico, in others Matisse and in others Magritte. Absence in presence brings to the idea that certain dynamics are certainly individual but still concern the community, so Conn represents a woman, but he wants to make evident the condition of many. Observing the faces of the subjects and the traits used, the above works seem to recall the dark symbolism of Munch, in the dramatic feeling they communicate, in the pessimism of the themes treated in a symbolic and tragic way. It can be said that the artist's works are real works of denunciation and criticism, the communicative level is profound and appropriately used to attract attention in a world that is too often distracted.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Ric Conn
No More
Ric Conn
Not Today
Ric Conn
The Hypocrisy of Censorship
Ric Conn
The Last Goodbye
Ric Conn
You Will See Me
Richard Janne Haubold “Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” (Berton Brecht)
Sometimes we remain silent in front of a painting because we do not understand its message or its meaning and this is the perfect time to practice reflecting on unusual aspects and perceive information in a different way. Art is able to push someone to think outside the box and that is what Richard Janne Haubold is able to do. We are programmed to discover mysterious things and we often forget the essential, a face that hides a story, a memory that can give life to great revelations. A cage that contains not only a face, but also emotions, feelings, thoughts and words. If art gives us the opportunity to tell, to trace a story and break through our emotions, it is also capable of caging us. Each artist has a unique story and his own creative soul is reflected in his works, the cage encloses the artist's feelings as it expresses hidden emotions, the period of frustration and inner reflection that Richard has recently experienced is well described by the painting. The artist brings his visions on the canvas, which he enriches with feelings and thoughts. The work is born from a state of mind, in which the journey is the beginning of a new research, thus becoming the expression of a state of mind, especially the female one. The nature of the cage leaves no room for imagination but drastically brings back to lived reality, the artist puts himself in the picture, in the woman's gaze and in her suffering. Everything can be read in the gaze, a universe that is exposed without censorship and without judgment but with an effort that seems to get out of the imagination, expresses torment, anguish but also sense of struggle and freedom. The strokes are simple and precise, the details are sharp and create a balance between light and shade. Richard Janne Haubold's work therefore makes us trigger a reflection to better understand ourselves as it is an expression of the hidden feelings in which we can all find ourselves.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Richard Janne Haubold
No Title
Rim R. Elias No one can prison our mind. In thoughts you can always break free. Dare to express yourself, dare to give existence for your thoughts. (Rim R. Elias) Rim brings her inner universe, between reality and imagination, at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S. Practicality, concreteness deriving from Rim's personality and profession (she is an architect) allow the artist to remain faithful to reality. On the other hand, her travels, her life experiences and her deep soul bring the imaginary into her works. The result is a combination of real and imaginary elements that blend perfectly and create completely new scenarios, architectures of a parallel reality. This is particularly visible in Reaching destination and The world runs behind you. The first one "is dedicated to all the fighters in life, who work hard in silence, conquer their lives over time and do not give up at any cost despite all the toxic environment around them trying to invalidate their efforts". The message is very deep and direct, there is a human presence in a natural environment, between the dreamlike and the real. He reaches the shore to rest. The setting suggests a state of mind aware of fatigue but looking for a corner of peace. The world runs behind you, instead, is an invitation to "be open-minded and flexible in action and thought in order to deserve what life offers. Life is both good and bad for us. The world can be cruel to you at times. The walls symbolize everything we trust and rely on in these moments." Back, once again the theme of finding serenity. "I just ask life to shut up and give me my peace for a few moments". Show me your worst is a very special work indeed, is a continuously changing painting. It started with sea waves reflecting the sunset, it was given a face after two years. "The face kept changing until I found out I have been drawing my own face over the years. the painting has developed in a very different direction in 2022 after an accident that almost killed me". This artwork is preatty a selfportrait: it shows the two sides of the artist. The exhausted side and the calm recovering side. "The sunlight on the right symbolizes hope, which I cannot live without. The flowers are the blossoming choices I make even in the darkest times".
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Rim R. Elias
Reaching destination
Rim R. Elias
Show me your worst
Rim R. Elias
The world runs behind you
Rinata Shaka “I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.” (Frida Kahlo)
Rinata Shaka is a Corsican and Swiss artist and musician. This name is as much a stage name as it is a project title. A diary of her own emotions and then portraits of them. Shaka uses her own face as a canvas to question anger, passion, tears, relief. Her own life on her own face. The artist, in her own paintings, seems to turn a judgmental gaze towards the viewer. A seductive aesthetic oxymoron that whispers: "you're looking at me". Rinata defines her project as a personal graphic "me too”, in her works she also talks about what she has suffered and generously shares it with those who benefit from her works of art.
Rinata Shaka
The practice of this artist, with daily gestures, elaborates the emotions of the human being, her own clearly, but also those of all. Her gaze holds that of others and also carries out the difficult task. It seems that Shaka does the fearful work of deepening the emotions that we should all do and releases enveloping and warm images of rare fineness. Whether they are reds or grays, her color scale strikes deep for its balance and stillness, as if the most devastating work has already been done and we the audience are called to enjoy the result. One thing that recurs in the painting is the splitting of the elements, hands, body that becomes trine, as if to reinforce the journey made up to that moment and that result. Rinata Shaka is a badass, nothing else to say.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
Rinata Shaka
It’snt going to be that way!
Rinata Shaka
Swim again
Rita Rozynek "Being free does not only mean getting rid of one's chains, but living in a way that respects and values the freedom of others" (Nelson Mandela)
The young artist Rita concentrates her great skills in her artistic work, first of all the ability to feel free to express herself. Rita expresses herself, her ideas, her feelings, her emotions and she does it in the name of freedom. The artist speaks, through her work of art, for herself and for all women. If on the one hand her work is full of expressive freedom, on the other hand she is strongly courageous. Rita's entire artistic work is a cry, a scream of revolt. The artist has always and forever played an important role in society, namely that of instilling doubts, contradicting the system if necessary, giving a voice to those who have none, certainly Rita perfectly embodies this idea of an artist. The very technique that the artist uses strongly recalls the idea of courage and freedom: tearing, cutting and joining pieces to create new images. In fact, one of the first who made collage was John Heartfield who used it as a satirical weapon against Hitler and the Nazis. Rita, with this work takes the side of women, in particular on the side of rights, she underlines a great problem. In Poland, women have been denied the right to have abortion, which pushes them to do so in an illegal way, risking their lives. The work "The lightning" is of great aesthetic and emotional impact, to note how every single detail of the work has great significance. From the Christian elements and therefore linked to the Church that strongly influences the laws of the country, to the abuse of power that could be described as a hyena that captures and grasps a pink flamingo between its teeth. Above, the figure of a woman who soars as if she wanted to take flight and feel free. Encountering Rita's work means confronting reality, and at the same time it means finding the courage to express oneself and seek freedom, always.
Art Curator Vanessa Viti
Rita Rozynek
The Lightning
Rosa Laura Josendi For as long as I can remember, people have showed me in every possible way how weird and different they think I am (Rosa Laura Josendi)
Once again, the depth of Rosa's soul manifests itself with Let it burn at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S. This time Rosa touches the chords of diversity, her sensitivity reaches unheard-of peaks and becomes universal. Her anger is poured onto the canvas along with her strength of spirit. Art is the medium through which a cry for freedom is expressed. The woman depicted has such a communicative power to destroy the cell in which she was locked up, she has her eyes erased and hints with her mouth what she expresses through gestures. Rosa's magic lies in making a personal experience common to all and launching strong messages of help, of hope towards those who need an outstretched hand, who needs to break free. She says "For as long as I can remember, people have showed me in every possible way how weird and different they think I am, and how everything I am and do is not done the way is supposed to be done. Freedom and honesty aren´t as appreciated as they should apparently and society doesn´t allow you to exist in a different way than the one they want you to exist. This painting is dedicated to all of those who told me I was too skinny, too tall, my feet were too big, my clothing was too manly, too poor, too weird, too crazy, too kind, too innocent, too distant, too quiet, too loud, too shy, too straight forward, too honest, too angry… too… much…To all of you...". The scene is in black and white, but the red explodes like the artist's soul and that of the observer.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Rosa Laura Josendi
Let it burn
Rozalynd Roos Merrill “Art is everywhere and everywhere is art.” (Brandon Boyd)
Artist, painter, photographer, creative, designer, illustrator, Rozalynd Roos Merrill began her career as a graphic designer and illustrator before turning to fine arts. Her paintings find great strength and inspiration in nature which has a significant influence on her works. By transforming the emotional essence that Californian landscapes offer, Rozalynd Roos Merrill manages to imprint them on the canvas, creating effective and balanced colors and infusing vital design. Admiring her paintings we can find traits of the natural environment of California, mixed with the memories of photos taken while traveling abroad or at home. The colors emerge from the canvas with depth, in a mix of translucent tones of enamel that are placed confidently on the canvas. The style is representative, unique and sometimes surreal where the light of nature blends with energy and the basic shape of the color create a complex depth, movement and texture. The artist's paintings are a transposition of energy; from inner feelings, the light crosses her soul and is expressed in brushstrokes, fluid but mellow that create body and soul on the canvas. The geometric elements are contrasted with curves and serpentines, the colors form clearly identifiable areas creating an effect of dynamism, as if the colors were chasing each other on the canvas and moving each other. The colors in fact create a strong sense of vitality, from the yellow that recalls the vital madness, to the blue, more emotional, deep and meditative, to all the shades that create contrast and balance. The combinations of these colors have a decisive effect on the observer who feels involved, impacted by this symphony that directly affects the soul. The artist manages to create, through colors and fluid shapes, a spiritual consciousness of the world, not based on the senses and sight but on the deeper understanding of reality. This is the result of the fusion of painting, drawing, photography and digital manipulation to create unique works of art, in an ever new process able to create an atmospheric and emotional experience in which viewers can draw and imagine unique perspectives. In the jets of color, the characteristics of nature are captured, according to a pattern that is difficult to explain rationally but also can be perceived, making the artist's works unique and extraordinary pieces. The works of the Ethereal series are characterized by marked black lines, which remind us of winter but are wrapped in backgrounds of bright colors that fade towards the sides of the painting; spring and winter, therefore, coexist in the painting, creating a whirlwind of colors and emotions.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Rozalynd Roos Merrill
Ethereal 2
Rozalynd Roos Merrill
Crash
Rozalynd Roos Merrill
Ethereal 3
Ryuichi Nomoto “No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time, it’s just that others are behind the times.” (Martha Graham) Artist Ryuichi Nomoto was born in Tokyo and raised up in Miyazaki, from early age he was absorbed by daydreams, aspiring imaginary worlds and creatures. At the age of twenty-five, this continuous dreams pushed him to create works of art. His figuration moves within the framework of fantastic and surreal paintings, which while distancing itself from the re-presentation of the gift, manages to express thoughts and reflect on reality in an effective and powerful way. The pictorial language used by the artist to transpose stories and meditations onto the canvas is transposed with a technique that allows the observer to modulate the dry color effects to expressive needs, where atmospheres and symbolic values are attributed to the representations. In his painting "Prophet of Destruction and Regeneration", created by the technique of mix media, formal and chromatic values are present together with an original and surreal representation and aggregation of elements. The surreal images, invented by the artist's creative imagination, so rigorous in their formal structure and clear in the colors, manage to excite us and force us to evoke profound questions. The whole has a strong emotional impact but also the details capture us; they are part of a construction of fantastic and suggestive situations that address us as if they were a puzzle, inviting us to decipher it, going beyond the contents of the chromatic balances. We see a world that looks, imagines, reproduces, changes and transmits emotions, focuses on the symbolic aspect of the contrast between space and matter, where the branching of lines in space spreads in all directions and creates a contrast with the large dark form that stands out in the center of the picture.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Ryuichi Nomoto
Prophet of Destruction and Regeneration
S.001
Each title is an impulse, going through to its sublimation, which leads to its destruction to finally achieve the simplicity to represent its essence. S.001 presents “F**K U - COWARDY”, “F**K U - CORRUPTED ENTITLEMENT”, “F**K U - EGOISM”, “F**K U - EXTERNAL VALIDATION”, “F**K U - FORTUNE”, “F**K U - ESTABLISHMENT”, “F**K U - SHORT SIGHTED”, “F**K U - JUST THAT" and “F**K U - GROUNDING” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. Each artwork is a video portraying different impulses which leads into the destruction of an object in order to represent its essence. We witness the process to create each one of them, from the physical artwork to the digital intervention by the artist to achieve a final result, which is to share the artwork, not only as an idea, also as a commodity, easily to be shared in our present paradigm of society, which is “social media”. Giulio Carlo Argan wrote the following about Alberto Burri in the 1960 Venice Biennale catalogue: "For Burri we must speak for an overturned Trompe-l’oeil, because it is no more painting to simulate reality, but it is reality to simulate painting.” Alberto Burri was characterized by his polimateric artworks and were often linked as destroyed means of representation. S.001 presents a similar result, he sublimates destruction to discover its essence. He creates reality, portrays its process to reflect its truth to simulate it as a digital result. 9 artworks by S.001, carry the responsibility to represent a real object by sublimating it, making it accessible to be shared. Lucy Lippard and John Chandler wrote “The Dematerialization of Art” (1968), to emphasize conceptual art and how it could lead to make an “art object” obsolete. Lippard focused on the final sublimation of art, she focused on its essence to render it as simple as possible. S.001 works to make his process as simple and as clear as it can be. He works towards a new simplicity with the purpose to go beyond the mold, to destruct it and to believe on the essence he has found in each artwork created. Each title represents a destruction to be sublimated.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
S.001
F**K U - COWARDY
S.001
F**K U - CORRUPTED ENTITLEMENT
S.001
F**K U - EGOISM
S.001
F**K U - EXTERNAL VALIDATION
S.001
F**K U - FORTUNE
S.001
F**K U - ESTABLISHMENT
S.001
F**K U - SHORT SIGHTED
S.001
F**K U - JUST THAT
S.001
F**K U - GROUNDING
Sai Pattaraporn x Lee Faan "For me, colours are living beings, individuals who integrate with us and with the whole world. Colours are the true inhabitants of space" (Yves Klein)
In Sai's entire artistic work, the protagonists are the colours that come to life and move within the space, creating extremely lively works. Sai is certainly able to surprise, she is capable of creating works that impact with the soul of the one who observes them. In fact, the viewer is captured by the colours and the sinuous movement they create. Colours free from lines and signs are those of Sai, which contrast with the homogeneity of the forms of the artist Lee. A combination of shapes and colors, almost contrasting with each other but creating perfect harmony. The works of the artists push the observer to fly with the mind and to fantasize about the infinite spaces. The works are of great impact, they appear alive and tangible, the viewer's attention is drawn to various points, to the shades of colour of Sai, to the colours that mix as in an ocean of colours and emotions. And again on the sinuosity of the lines and faces that are depicted and that gently become the protagonists of the works. A truly great intersection of brushstrokes, colours, lines, shapes and sensations, this is how the works of Sai and Lee appear. The art and styles of the two artists mix and merge, yet remain clearly visible and recognizable, each with its own identity. On the one hand, a more abstract vein, that of Sai who always lets herself be guided by inspiration, creating highly evocative works; on the other hand Lee who refers to the mind to the figuative and to Pop Art, especially for the colours chooses. Sai's art transports the user on a journey that begins in the work and then ends in the self, the artist guides us on an inner journey to discover sensations and intimate places, memories and emotions. Sai's works are a concentrate of energy and emotions, they are able to awaken certain dormant feelings.
Art Curator Vanessa Viti
Sai Pattaraporn x Lee Faan
Care? Care for anyone? Who’s gonna care for us?
Sai Pattaraporn x Lee Faan
Love? Love yourself? Love others? Love for society?
Sai Pattaraporn x Lee Faan
Pity ? Pity you? Will you pity me?
Sandra Marquez "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." (Edgar Degas)
Sandra is an artist with a fascinating and enigmatic style. Her artworks are always unique and original, full of details that intrigue the viewer. Her style is based on the concept of surrealism, which mixes dream and reality. It often has references to childhood, play and dreamlike fantasies. Sandra is a multi-material artist, she loves experimenting with different techniques and artistic media, creating new and communicative artistic processes. She has a very decorative style, extremely precise and manual. Her taste for combining shapes and colours is evident. Her work as a book illustrator has enabled her to train different drawing and expressive skills. In the painting 'Inland' her artistic talents are evident. Sandra evokes an imaginary, fairy-tale world. In the centre a fish with colourful scales opens its mouth to swallow a young girl in black and white, as if it were a newspaper cutout. The background is dotted with stars and flowers of different types and colours. Each flower is richly detailed and realistically rendered. A majestic winged horse appears in the starry sky. The contrast between the two figures in white and the colourful flora is evocative and very interesting. The two images seem to belong to a different world and yet are in perfect harmony with the magical atmosphere. Sandra projects the viewer into a new dimension, inviting him to seek a relationship with his childlike side, evoking his childhood. The structure of the artwork has been thought through down to the last detail. The arrangement of the elements, the choice of them and the pigments that colour them have been carefully studied. The composition is built from vertical and oblique lines and is absolutely harmonious. Everything is balanced. Even the sky, wonderfully shaded and lit by a fairytale moonlight, contributes to the atmosphere. The flowers are lifelike, the sinuous petals interlocking to create an enthralling dance. Sandra is an artist capable of creating refined, elegant and at the same time playful works. She takes the viewer back to a dimension he thought he had forgotten. A dream within reality that involves him in magic and opens up new horizons, new ways of seeing things and the world around him.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Sandra Marquez
Inland
Sandra Pappalardo Art is the most wonderful journey in the soul of the other where artist and spectator are transformed into a magical communion (Sandra Pappalardo)
Abismo is the work presented by Sandra Pappalardo at the international exhibition F**K U, hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S., as the artist says "this figurative and symbolic work proposes the rebirth of a chiaroscuro in its chromatic variant. It raises the human condition as subjects of a space that is at once graspable and distant, powerful and fragile, and seeks to exalt in its statism conditional freedom". Two humans are at the center of the work forced into a space that is the globe and seems to be too narrow to contain them. A beautiful metaphor that shows the awareness of a stereotyped reality and always the same. There is, however, a message of hope: the two women look towards an indefinite space above them. The human soul does not easily adapt to the reality designated by today's globalized society and the artist clearly expresses this concept through the gazes of the subjects and the poetically disproportionate dimensions. The two figures are mirrored but do not communicate with each other, however, they are also united by a ball of yarn that binds their ankles and that emerges from a hole in the heart opening to the visitor millions of readings that depend on their interiority. The artist does not dwell on delineating the gender and physical characteristics of the two humans present, this is because she wants to emphasize that this condition is common to all humans as thinking beings.
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Sandra Pappalardo
Abismo
Saori Kanda
Personal growth is a journey towards wholeness, integration and re-appropriation of self. Growth means integrating the different parts of oneself into a sufficiently harmonious and governable whole. Growing up means bringing one's dark parts to light, coming to terms with them even if we do not like them, or rather starting to accept and love them as parts of us, of our history, of our identity. It means recovering our originality and our creativity, our extremely vital authenticity. To grow means, therefore, to develop the ability to create one's own norms and forms, guided by a deep trust in the possibility of self-determination in an autonomous way, to create one's own identity based on a present awareness of one's own needs and values, in the deepest respect of one's own natural inclinations, of one's own authenticity, of one's own essential being. The becoming, the changes, the path that each person takes in his or her life is inserted in the line of time, a straight line in constant creation. Every point on that line is an instant, every sign is a lived moment. These moments are united by a necessary and essential element: the beginning, the point on the line of events that testifies to a change of course, the embrace of a new thought. And this is how 'Beginning' takes shape. The work contains all the emotional power and expressive charge that a new beginning can offer. An explosion of colour rises up against a black background. The sensation is that of witnessing the genesis of something, something that has been dormant for too long and has now exploded, flooding the silent and aseptic space with a shock wave of energy. The vigorous detonation rises from the bottom to the top, spreading sinuously and covering almost half of the work. It is red and fiery. It glows with vitality and a desire to express itself. Traversed by currents, interrupted and moved by internal forces, the crimson cloud creates constant plays of vision, reminding us of a photograph from above of a view of a canyon dried out by extreme heat and the sun. Rivulets of pigment cover the black, now the expressive force has been released. A joyful and violent explosion that marks a new beginning. It is the force of novelty, of the revelation of deep intentions and desires. It is the force of renewal, a natural process that unhinges the reins of any imposition. The creative explosion has taken place, now all we have to do is look forward to its continuation.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Saori Kanda
Beginning
Sara Rashidi “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out." (Martin Scorsese) Iranian artist Sara Rashidi's practice combines instinctive gestures and daily inspiration with a precise and reasoned compositional quality. Drawing and photography are walking together in her work thanks to her education with masters printmakers and artists. Her printed images have a strong cinematic flavor, they look like frames immortalized and carefully chosen from a film that will be broadcast in a niche cinema. The aesthetic aspect can also remind of old posters, always cinematographic, hand painted with the inspiration of analogical collage. Therefore, many media can be conceptually found in these works, helping the image to acquire the historical value that the techniques and their imagery carry with them. A dusty black and white that sometimes turns to red and green, the suggestion of celestial landscape, a rocket perhaps, the stars. The human figure, however, takes the upper hand in the composition of the image, a face that seems to tell a story in which we spectators are the protagonists. The person pictured really seems to be saying “ Welcome, here, this is all yours” . This painting seems to be an introduction and an invitation to be continued by those who enjoy it. In Sara's work one has the impression of being able to physically enter the picture and choose the scene of one of the boxes on the left and thus begin one's own story. The essential signs that narrate the scenes in the various boxes are almost reminiscent of hieroglyphics, as if to emphasize the presence of a historiographic weight in the work and in our presence in the universe.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Sara Rashidi
Galactic Genes
Sarah Guedj This world is but a canvas to our imagination. (Henry David Thoreau)
The art of Sarah Guedj - an extraordinary Israeli artist - can be defined as a kaleidoscopic universe of vibrant colors that transport the observer into a joyful and lively dimension, full of beauty and grace. Sarah's innate passion for art led her to find the main blend of inspiration in the unique ability to find positive sensations in everything, whether it belongs to the outside world or resides in the deepest folds of her interiority. This swirling ensemble of emotions that overflow from her works is supported by a unique technique, which is inspired by the dot painting of Aboriginal art and develops in an extremely personal style. The works presented during the F**K U exhibition focus on the marine world, whose multiplicity of colors and shapes becomes an opportunity for Sarah to create fascinating chromatic exuberances. In Balancing Oneself in the Chaotic Sea the observer's eye is lost in the infinite details of geometries, textures and colors that swirl through the entire composition, to then focus on the sinuous spine of a fish. Despite the swirling chaos that surrounds it, the fish becomes a simile of the search for its own inner harmony, which strengthens and grows until it is in balance with the waves that carry it. Brave Turtle in the Psychedelic World partially takes up this concept, and focuses on the figure of the turtle - symbolically recognized as an emblem of patience and wisdom which endures the obstacles that arise with courage and confidence. Her contemplative attitude turns with optimism to the future, tinged with brilliant notes of pink and blue. A Journey in the Aquatic Depths is characterized by a real rainbow of colors, shaded by the cold colors of blue, green and purple, up to the warmer notes of yellow, orange and red on the right side of the composition. This persuasive iris of chromatic tones is crossed by the wavy figure of a multicolored snake, which gradually sheds its skin. The artist represents in a visually captivating way a capacity for adaptation and discovery that transcends physical limits and touches the most intimate and hidden strings of the soul.
The less you respond to negative people, the more positive your life will become. (Paolo Coelho)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Sarah Guedj
Balancing Oneself in the Chaotic Sea
Sarah Guedj
Brave Turtle in the Psychedelic World
Sarah Guedj
A Journey in the Aquatic Depths
Sarah Mattinson
The young Canadian artist, Sarah Mattinson, puts all of herself in the works she realizes. Once she has cleared the theme she wants to represent in her canvas, she devotes herself to it with infinite passion. The result of this passion is also the work under examination: "REBEL". For the realization of this work, the artist comes out of her comfort zones - the representation of landscapes, mainly mountainous, but not only – and she represents a woman, a rebellious woman. The protagonist of the canvas retains a certain charm and an aura of mystery because of the large black hat that covers her eyes. This expedient consequently arouses the curiosity of the viewer, who is then completely enchanted by her fiery red lips and by the bold air that she exudes because of the middle finger that she shows everyone with confidence. Sarah Mattinson chooses to place this strong female figure on an equally strong background. The oblique lines, which according to the thought of Vassilij Kandinskij arouse a feeling of dynamism, are colored with different shades of red, color that evokes strength, and yellow that evokes excitement. Also, she wisely adds to them golden touches that embellish the entire composition. The brushstrokes are well balanced, neither too pasty, nor too flat and the color is evenly distributed on the canvas. The Canadian artist has created a work that turns out to be extremely contemporary since it presents a woman who openly claims her freedom of expression, showing everyone how she does not care what others think because she is free to be who she wants.
Art Curator Francesca Catarinicchia
Sarah Mattinson
REBEL
Sea.03 An art that violently enters our contemporary world. It insinuates itself into our thoughts and induces us to dwell on elements of everyday life which, with a detached and critical look, are disturbing and worrying. Yet to us, everything seems normal. We are so busy trying to get our lives going that we do not realise how quickly we are living our lives, how we have developed a superficial outlook and attitude towards the world in the face of problems and commitments. And so it is that nothing in our daily lives is astonishing any more. We are constantly bombarded by advertisements, images, sounds, stories and tales. There is too much information, our brain cannot and does not want to process it all. The deafening noise is continuous and our eyes live on Rgb LED colours. Where is the calm? There isn't any. Is it possible to find a moment of peace? No. At least not in this society. The mobile phone rings, and then notifications, events on the calendar, audio messages occupy our heads without making us think, even for a moment about ourselves. What we are feeling, what we want at any given moment. "Noise' is the graphic transposition of all this noise, a noise that at first glance seems marvellous and connects the whole world in the name of common information. But the noise is deafening. The confusion is just too much to be digested, we would like a break but it is impossible for our wish to come true. A seductive coral-red mouth opens at the centre of the composition. Inside is popcorn. A myriad of tiny popped corn kernels that you can't even count. They are colourful and compact, like a curtain of matter. This is how Sea.03 urges the viewer not to listen to the sea of information that willy-nilly enters his ears, but to listen to his own heart, his own desires and intentions. It urges you to listen to your fears and embrace them, even if it is not easy, even if it is at odds with what the background noise of the world is shouting. Sea.03's art is aggressive in its simplicity, it is caustic with the typical stylistic features of the society we live in and sarcastic towards all of us, inhabitants of the world. "F..K" is explicit, irreverent in its minimal but powerful expressiveness. It is a hymn to moving forward towards the path we want to take, heedless of any word, any discourse designed to discredit. Four mouths, in four different positions, introduce us and act as a backdrop to letters painted in black ink. The gestures are very strong, you can see the signs of the brushstrokes and you can almost feel the expressive force that guides Sea.03 in the creation of their work. Talking is easy, but achieving the goals is another story.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Sea.03
F..K
Sea.03
Noise
Sea.03
The world in the back
Sharon Muss Sharon Muss is a professional artist living in Mexico who, at “F**K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, presents three of her artworks. Sharon defines her work as a form of “introspective selfportrait” coming from her deepest being: starting from "PROTOCOLOS", the first work she presents, we can in fact see that it is made up of a series of images made up of fragments, writings, complementary and non-complementary colors that come together, clippings that are distributed on the canvas in an apparently chaotic way to reproduce her deepest thought, that irrational part that is within us and that is accessible only to a few. Although the works are an explosion of images and colors, the final result is that of a great visual and compositional balance with which Sharon blends her ideas. Every piece of art is an experience, a way of catharsis within the limits of my subconscious mind, always trying to be as authentic and organic as possible. In "QUIERO", this process of externalization of one's unconscious is more contained and subdued: a bright orange alternates with an intense purple with golden writings which, as if following Sharon's stream of consciousness, invade the canvas without limits: the viewer therefore lives and interacts with the work of art, free to read it from where he wants and participating with Sharon in her introspection. Themes like love, sensuality, sensibility, creation and beauty are constants that repeat, from the experiential they convert into paradigms of the feelings of a modern, independent, strong and stubborn woman: in "TRANSICION" a woman is portrayed from behind, caressed by the light that makes it extremely sensual. Around her writings, symbols, splashes of color that once again sanction Sharon's deep desire to go beyond the moment and rationality, to venture into the great journey within oneself reserved for a few.
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
Sharon Muss
PROTOCOLOS
Sharon Muss
QUIERO
Sharon Muss
TRANSICION
Shinichi Uemura “When it comes to fighting for your dreams, be a dragon. Breathe fire.” (Richelle E. Goodrich)
SOUL: this is the key word to better understand the contemporary Japanese artist Shinichi Uemura’s works. Soul as the essence of each of us: during your life you plant seeds waiting for flowers to bloom, you walk winding paths before finding the right track. All this contributes to our intellectual growth and to the enrichment of our inner world. The thread running through his works is the theme of the dragon. Using a calligraphy technique, the artist creates dynamic and fluid movements through brush strokes of Sumi ink. "Dragon" was painted in 2022 with the Japanese ink technique on Japanese writing paper. Shinichi writes: “With the love for peace and harmony that sleeps within your heart, the dragon asks you - What do you truly want to do?". This question is asked directly to the viewer who is called to interact personally with the work. What do you want to do with your life? What is your mission and what are your goals? The dragon becomes your confidant, it transforms into your conscience trying to understand what your real thoughts are. Author Richelle E. Goodrich argued that when it comes to fighting your dreams, you must be like a dragon and breathe fire. The dragon is pugnacious and determined to make his wishes come true. Shinichi invites viewers to be like this mythological creature through his works: strength and courage will help you overcome obstacles and go towards victory.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Shinichi Uemura
Dragon
Shinji Mikame
Shinji Mikame Bonn was born and raised in Tokyo and is currently studying at London University of Art. His art is populated by imaginary figures and monsters that bring his personal visions and thoughts to life. To create these three paintings he was inspired by the concept of faith. The will of man to transmit the faith through art has been testified since the dawn of our city. In the Paleolithic the depictions of plants, animals and hunters were used as a symbol for magical-religious ceremonies. In the last century, society has moved further and further away from sacredness and the concept of faith. The relationship between faith and art has drastically ended. Today's art focuses on the individual and his subconscious. For the artist, faith is an essential element for peace and serenity in the world, but at the same time it generates conflicts and wars. We must not consider faith only towards a divinity, but also in nature and in the strong relationship we have with it. The first painting "Sun from the window" represents our faith in the Sun. In the painting, one of the monsters that populate Shinji's art takes the form of the Sun and is placed in the center of the drawing. All around him are symbols of houses and people, underlining that everything revolves around the sun. The colors do not resume those of a summer day, indeed we find a large percentage of cold tones, but the painting manages to convey a feeling of serenity. The second painting "Nature in belief" also concerns the sun, but focuses on its relationship with nature, which would not exist without it. The third painting "Faith in face" represents the great strength and power of faith. A large mask, inspired by indigenous masks, stands out across the canvas, surrounded by small, malevolentlooking otherworldly beings. It not only represents faith in something, but also in ourselves, which can have great power but can be dangerous at the same time.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Shinji Mikame
Sun from the window
Shinji Mikame
Nature in belief
Shinji Mikame
Faith in face
Simone Chiesa For us, art is inseparable from life. It becomes art-action and as such it alone is capable of prophetic and divinatory power. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti Simone Chiesa uses recycled iron and clay for his work "Alì". In continuity with what Boccioni experimented in the futurist avant-garde with "Unique forms of continuity in space", Chiesa investigates the movement and threedimensionality of the perception of this which appears to be so dissected in its essence. Each one identifies in a universal way with the represented form which is not only man, but is living matter. the reflection then lies in considering a "living whole" as Goethe also defined it and to which inanimate objects also belong, thus becoming living art. The figure seems to collapse, heroically rise through the fatigue of life as if red also symbolized the sacrifice to cross it. The revolution lies in the simultaneity that sculpture is able to offer and unite in itself, the medieval 3D framed by the real. The energy inherent in the character transpires with all its disruption almost like an energetic act that highlights not so much the form but the energy that underlies it and which, perhaps, is the only one that still knows how to keep us alive despite not we can neither see it nor touch it. The Greeks called the wind ἄνεμος like the soul, something that exists but cannot be seen, only perceived as well as the drama of this work and its immense message of strength as if it meant to the viewer "get up again! It doesn't matter how many times you've fallen. "
Art Curator Silvia Grassi
Simone Chiesa
Alì i
Soňa Krupičková “The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” (Robert Henri)
Soňa Krupičková is a contemporary Czech artist who develops her artistic research following two main approaches: one more figurative and the other more abstract. In both cases the desire is to communicate feelings and emotions deeply rooted in her, in order to cure the observer through beauty. In the triptych presented at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of the "F**K U" exhibition, we immediately notice an abstract expressive need, where the canvas becomes the place on which to let the colour slide, in long, dense spots that merge into each other. Similar to stormy seas, these paintings speak of a deep soul and, sprayed in gold, show the magic of a spirituality suspended in the air. In 'SPONTANEITY III' , blues, reds and whites mix to create new vibrant colours which, dynamically brushed, bring the artist's emotions to the surface. Despite the presence of this incessant and tortuous movement, what arises from viewing the work is nevertheless a set of sensations of calm and balance. The observer is transported into a contemplative state, to the point of letting himself be lulled by the waves of these seas that are as stormy as they are wonderful. Landscapes that change at the glance of each one to give space for every interpretation, which can thus lead the observer to an inner well-being. For Soňa Krupičková, art is like a therapy that enables her to overcome life's difficulties. Flowing like water, it purifies the mind and body, allowing the canvas to become imbued with beauty.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Soňa Krupičková
SPONTANEITY II
Soňa Krupičková
SPONTANEITY III
Soňa Krupičková
SPONTANEITY IV
Steffen Sebastian Schäfer “As an artist, I'd choose the thing that's beautiful more than the one that's true." (Laurie Anderson)
The desire to blossom. Steffen Sebastian Schäfer declares with this single phrase all the deep and violent sea of emotions that moves his work. Seemingly classic and elegant, Schäfer's photographs show a desire for beauty, for purity. Considering his practice and the plurality of his works, one has the feeling that the artist is striving for an ideal of pleasure that will never be contaminated. In order to reach this ideal, he knows he has to cross the darkness of what has withered before its time or has never even blossomed. These photographs are a tribute to unborn happiness. A flower on a black background, a perspective slightly from below, almost asserts a political aspect of the natural element, as if to restore to the flower the dignity it deserves. Schäfer not only shows us what has probably been or would have been trampled upon, but also claims its uniqueness and importance. The choice of titles is definitely interesting, the artist calls "Beauty and her admirers", the print with the subject a group of flowers not exactly beautiful by classic aesthetic canons but with a very strong reference to the human figure. A mother with her 5 children can almost be seen here. Instead he calls only with her own name "Cyclamen", two cyclamen flowers whose white is dazzling light of purity and kindness that seems to be what the artist is looking for, but maybe once found, almost loses that need to filter and interpret leaving only the said arrival: beauty. These subjects in black and white, have suffered and proudly want to end their cycle help to make the road beaten and less tortuous for those who come after. These works are an honorable salute.
Art Curator Federica D'Avanzo
Steffen Sebastian Schäfer
The Beauty and her Admirers
Steffen Sebastian Schäfer
Dried Flamingo
Steffen Sebastian Schäfer
Cyclamen
Steffen Zehrfeld
Steffen Zehrfeld is a German artist who has always been devoted to art and colors. He started drawing graffiti over 35 years ago, then moved on to drawing cakes and desserts, small business logos and slogans. He could not attend a drawing school, but he always found a way to create art and give vent to his emotions. His art is inspired by the events of his life, enclosing all the sensations and thoughts of that precise moment on the canvas. It is a hymn to life, an encouragement to live in the present, enjoy every moment and even take a few moments for ourself. The "Continental" work depicts all the small moments of our daily life, small details that we do not notice, which will influence our life forever. We have to live in the present and fill our life with events and experiences. The artist wants to introduce the viewer to another way of living, also awakening hidden dreams and emotions. The style used incorporates the art of graffiti, recalling the graphics of comics with writings and symbols. The combination of colors is unusual: natural colors blend with neon colors, echoing the metallic colors of spray cans. The colors used are no more than four and reflect the mood of the artist when he painted the work. There is no overlapping of the various components, each drawing has its precise place on the canvas, this conveys a feeling of calm. His art, for its simplicity and the precision of the lines, recalls the art of Keith Haring Men. In his works, animals and people are painted in a simplified way but with great expressive power. In Steffen Zehrfeld's work, objects or physical persons are not represented, but something abstract, which represents the passing of time and the moments of our life that we have to capture. Everyone should have this work at home to remember to enjoy life.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Steffen Zehrfeld
Continental
Stephen Dent
To understand in a deep way the painting presented on the occasion of the international art exhibition F**K U, by the artist Stephen Dent, titled Lost Faith, it is useful to analyse the composition in each detail in which it is composed. In fact, if we consider the whole vision it is easy to feel confused in front of the variety of different shapes and colours used. At the same time the observer has the opportunity to understand that every piece of this composition wants to tell us about a singular feeling or thoughts of the artist. As if the canvas was for him a paper where he wrote his stream of consciousness in a very free way. The colours used and the signs made by the brush remind in an allegorical way to other meanings. For example, we can see on the centre of the composition a large red spot. With this technique the artist tells us about something that seems to press him, crush him. A hemorrhagic rash that does not heal and continues to gush out blood. In addition, the lines put in the foreground remind the idea of scratches, of something burning on the skin. In this way, the vision becomes for the observer something that stimulates the sense that not remain just on the surface of things but wants to make a contact with the viewer, a real encounter. In fact, as it is said about him and his way to produce art: <<through painting, he found a platform to express feelings, which words could not. Often, he will begin a painting with no particular plan in mind; simply allowing natural instinct to take over each blend of colour and brush stroke>>. This means that the artist uses the art to tell his truth to the viewer, something that stays inside of him, which is the the truest part of him.
Art Elisabetta Eliotropio
Stephen Dent
Lost Faith
Susanne Strandänger “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.” (Pablo Picasso)
Susanne Strandänger is a Swedish contemporary artist. Her art, which was initially linked to a more Nordic tradition, especially in terms of colours, underwent a sudden change after her first trip to Marrakech, a well-known city in Morocco. During this trip the artist encountered new lights and new impulses, which profoundly changed the approach to her artistic research, now closer to a pop language, where colour is taken to the limit. Her works are tinged with acid tones that seem to corrode the surface, while describing environments and landscapes that the artist has actually encountered during her travels. Thus the vegetation and colours of a land whose cultures are most influenced by light become part of Susanne Strandänger's expressiveness. The work presented at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition "F**K U", entitled "La Magie d´un Jardin I", represents the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech. Already a colourful place in itself, here it is even brighter, with petrol-coloured plants, fuchsia walls and acid green columns. The need to include a more intense light in her works stems from the fact that the artist's aim is to portray the joy of living and the beauty that comes with it. The artist accompanies us into an altered, almost psychedelic world, whose visual vibrations are intended to hover in the air to reach our souls and awaken the essence of love for life.
Art Curator Francesca Brunello
Susanne Strandänger
La Magie d'un jardin I
Svenja Ava
For Svenja Ava the subjects are nothing more than useful pretexts to exhibit an exquisite formal exercise made of lines, volumes, silhouettes and chromatic-tonal values. The cuts in the frame, as in "Back off" and "Pardon me" ", are so much adacious that they even exclude half the front of the subject. The construction is rigorous, constant, behind each photo hides a highly controlled exercise of stylistic perfectionism that best reflects that spirit of formal transcendence present in all Svenja's works. The artist shows an almost maniacal attention to the rendering of detail, to the graphic enhancement of the subjects, each accessory framed by its viewfinder acquires a suspended, metaphysical character. In "The chase" and "You are indestructible" we find a decidedly more theatrical and more filmic dimension. In this direction Svenja demonstrates that she knows how to make a positive use of what at first glance paradoxically appears to be a limitation of photography, that is, its condition as an isolated fragment devoid of correlation with other frames, as, for example, happens in cinema. Svenja has this ability to lead us to believe that we are the witnesses of a crucial moment in the emotional life of the subject, to make us curious to know what caused the scene and what will follow.
Svenja Ava
In other words, it would be precisely the congenital lack of syntactic possibility that generates in photography narrative conditions that are as fascinating as ever, because they are highly ambiguous, mysterious, open, that is, to force the viewer to an action of integration and completion starting from the only one frame in his possession. The suspended image prompts us to ask ourselves what generated what we are seeing and at the same time invites us to imagine what could happen. In "Change of power" and "Big steps" Svenja rediscovers the neutral white background, here the models tend to take on a strongly symbolic and emblematic character, similar to that manifested by objects in pop culture, which is also committed to telling the world by isolating and decontextualizing the most significant icons of contemporaneity. Thus the dual nature of her works emerges: on the one hand formal, graphically impeccable, abstract, but at the same time capable of maintaining that sense of direct display of reality so typical of photography.
Art Curator Chiara Lezzi
Svenja Ava
The Chase
Svenja Ava
Change of power
Svenja Ava
Back off
Svenja Ava
You are indistructible
Svenja Ava
Big steps
Svenja Ava
Pardon me
Syl Sevonne "In nature, light creates color. In painting, color creates light" (Hans Hofmann)
The entire Syl artistic production is a continuous research, it is the expression of an inner growth and discovery, it is the way to observe the outside and also scrutinize his own life and experiences. For Syl, art becomes the means to feel free, in particular the freedom to live free from evils, from demons, free to feel sensations and emotions. Syl says no to the disease, she cries out for life, her work is a real scream and an impulse towards life. Syl's art is purely abstract, there are lines that form shapes but have nothing to do with reality, what the artist creates is something magical and mystical. Color plays a fundamental role, it is the protagonist of the works and is the means through which the artist intends to express herself. Syl's artistic work possesses great strength and evokes strong feelings. The colours that Syl chooses are soft and bright, they capture the attention of the observer, not only that, the lines and colours that the artist uses are able to captivate the heart of the beholder. In fact, Syl's work is extremely fascinating, the colours that follow one another, the lines that chase each other create a whirlwind of emotions and feelings from which the observer cannot escape. Syl's work is a condensation of energy and emotions, the encounter with her work represents for the observer a sort of exchange of emotions, those of the artist and those of the observer. Abstract art has the great task of escaping from reality to go and creep into more secluded corners, Syl succeeds in this purpose and brings out emotions and memories. Through her artistic work, the artist brings out her great gifts, that is to master the pencil and color and to excite the viewer. Ultimately, Syl's work represents the courage and strength to always go forward, to take life back in hand and to face everything with determination, Syl gives us, through her work, her great strength and energy.
Art Curator Vanessa Viti
Syl Sevonne
F**K U cancer, but not my life
Synzey
Synzey is a German artist, born in Bremen in 1995. He started painting on paper from a young age and then stopped due to his work commitments. Thanks to a colleague of his, he knows abstract art and falls in love with the fuidity of the colors placed on the canvas and with the freedom with which he could represent his feelings, expressing his ideas and talking with his soul. The term abstractionism includes all the works that do not stop at the representation of real objects. An art that wants to make evident its peculiarity, compared to photography, to interpret a subjective reality, enhancing the feelings of the artist. Color becomes the main interpreter of the painter's vision, placed on the canvas with instinctive brushstrokes or included in precise geometric shapes. In the painting "Explosion of Colors" the artist takes inspiration from Jackson Pollock. He uses the technique of Action Painting,
Synzey
In the painting "Explosion of Colors" the artist takes inspiration from Jackson Pollock. He uses the technique of Action Painting, in which the color is dripped or thrown onto the canvas, to create an impactful painting that manages to capture the fleeting emotions of the moment. On a blue background there is an explosion of colors from white to pink, from red to black. A transparent varnish helps to enhance its brilliance. In the second work "Beyond the horizon" the action paiting meets Mondrian's geometry. White and ocher lines divide the painting into squares and rectangles, on a purple, blue and turquoise background. Splashes of black and ivory finish the picture conveying a feeling of glory. Color is the basis of Synzey's works, with nuances that reflect the artist's feelings at the moment of creation. His paintings represent something new that combines the foundations of abstract art with modern painting.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Synzey
Color explosion
Synzey
Beyond the horizon
Takehiko Chiba “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” (Maya Angelou)
Painter Takehiko Chiba was born and raised in Tokyo, he has worked as a graphic designer, in window’s production and again in graphic design. He has always drawn images as a hobby but especially recently he has managed to devote a lot of time to the world of art. By painting his works, the artist offers us an abstraction made of pure and essential elements, with lines that intersect forming figures, filled with colors. Wa can perceive a frenetic rhythm and a lively atmosphere, typical of a metropolis that changes style, as well as a new energy and vitality made of colored and pulsating lights. Takehiko Chiba's works are a combination of emotional intensity and self-description but with a movement of rebellion, he demonstrates vitality and creativity. They are an explosion of shapes and colors that create a natural and sensorial datum, illuminate the space and enliven it with small details. We can observe true and real forms, juxtaposed with more abstract forms that recall infantile representations. The artist's individuality plays a central role in the work that is created through an abstract pictorial language, uses different colors and styles that converge in an active and full of energy image. There is a sense of freedom of tradition and a wider breath, the act of painting finds full justification in the artist's impulse which recalls primitive forms, thoughts, motions and agitation. The artist decides to act, to transmit what he feels on the canvas in a movement of liberation.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Takehiko Chiba
The city and the feeling
Takehiko Chiba
Ray of hope
Takehiko Chiba
Summer
Takuro Kishibe “Painting is a thundering conflict of different worlds, which in and out of the battle with one another are intended to create the new world, which is called the world of art.” (Wassily Kandinsky)
No real and recognizable subject, but simple shapes, lines, and colors merge to tell a story. Abstract art is not reproduction, it is not imitation. Fantasy, instinct, and the incessant flow of emotions are the protagonists of the creative process, the result of which is a work that invites the viewers to immerse themselves completely in it, giving a personal interpretation of what they see. Takuro Kishibe is a Japanese contemporary visual artist who has experimented with different techniques: he approaches the world of art by exploring the technique of collage and then in 2019 he starts creating abstract paintings. The three works analysed were created in 2021 with the acrylic on paper technique. They have no title: this choice is not accidental on the part of the artist. “Look, observe. What do you see? Tell me about it ". This is what Takuro would like to say to the viewer sitting in front of his paintings. No influence, no clue. Be free to travel with your imagination and write the title that your thoughts and your heart suggest to you. The works are characterized by the contrast of broad brush strokes with thin strokes and by a skilful chromatic balance. Harmony: this is the key word to describe Takuro's works. Harmony of shapes and colors. Immerse yourself between one brushstroke and another, walk among the shades and go in search of the essence.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Takuro Kishibe
Untitled
Takuro Kishibe
Untitled
Takuro Kishibe
Untitled
Teresa Bellini "One can exist without art, but without it one cannot Live." (Oscar Wilde)
A true citizen of the world, Teresa Bellini owes part of her artistic inspiration to her long stay in China. It has always nourished the need to make art, which, over time, has led her to immerse herself in this vast world and to start creating her own artistic vision. But it was only during the lockdown that Teresa Bellini understood the importance of painting, of making art, considered as an essential part of one's being and one's existence. This great passion and need is what drives the artist to create works of art with a strong personal appeal, rich in memories of the past and connected emotions. The choice of colors, instinctive, determines the total trust of Teresa to the appointed colors as holders of emotional expressiveness. His abstract painting aspires to envelop the observer and make him lose it in the immensity of the surreal world that is created.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Teresa Bellini
Focus
Tino Gerlach
Tino Gerlach is an artist with an important career behind him, after numerous exhibitions he arrives at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of the "F ** K U" exhibition with three extremely powerful and avant-garde works of art. The three works of art seem to be inspired by an artistic concept that recalls the characteristics of American Pop-Art. The subjects considered are extremely familiar but represented in an unconventional way, using acrylic to create a negative image, they have the opportunity to be observed in a different light, bringing to light all those new details that we are not used to, thanks to the contrast of chiaroscuro. Andy Warhol, the greatest exponent of Pop-Art used everyday subjects in his art, making them unique for the choice of always different colors, which in each work highlighted something new and innovative. The works are extremely impactful, powerful from a chromatic and communicative point of view, what is part of everyday life becomes something new and totally different, devoid of any form of prejudice or stereotype, takes shape in a revolution that allows the observer to change the their own perspective and their own way of observing, living and interpreting. Tino Gerlach is therefore the creator of a new way of expressing and representing one's vision of the world, literally overturning what we see and highlighting what generally remains hidden.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Tino Gerlach
Das Negativ eines Portraits
Tino Gerlach
Fang
Tino Gerlach
Leo
Try Cheatham
The foundations of Try Cheatham’s artistic style are to be found, as herself claims, in the theories of the American art critic Clement Greenberg. He believed that it was important to highlight the flatness of surfaces in painting, as a unique and exclusive element of this discipline (unlike, for example, sculpture which is by nature three-dimensional). The works of Try Cheatham, therefore, prefer flat and uniforms brushstrokes without any reliefs. At the same time, however, she does not detach herself from the illusionism typical of painting and she loves to give imaginary depth within her works. There is therefore a juxtaposition of 2D vs 3D. In all her works, moreover, she “[…] confronts the fundamentally opposing ideas of experience and metaphor.”. In the work under examination, in fact, each element is a reference to something else, to something deeper. The boardwalk represents rising above of our emotions as we proceed in our life path; the light at the end of the boardwalk is a metaphor for the sea, and this, in turn, symbolizes life. On the sides of the artwork, we can see machines with hooks for taking stuffed animals, and they, in the vision of the American artist, represent lifestyle choices, distractions, fun, and directions. Nothing is as we see it at first glance. The colors chosen by the artist are cheerful and full of energy, able to capture the viewer’s gaze, while the choice to represent architecture and objects of contemporary life intrigue him and push him to immerse himself in the work, becoming an integral part of it. Try Cheatham proves to be a skilled artist; aware of her artistic abilities and able to give the best of herself in her works, she creates fantastic artworks, special in every part of them.
Art Curator Francesca Catarinicchia
Try Cheatham
Boardwalk
tuxedodoom "Capoeira is the fight of dancers. It is the dance of gladiators. It is a duel between comrades. It is game, it is dance, it is dispute – a perfect symbiosis of force and rhythm, poetry and agility. Unique in that the movements are dictated by the music and the singing. The submission of strength to rhythm. Of violence to melody. The sublimation of antagonisms". (Dias Gomes)
Tuxedodoom's work has that seductive aesthetic appeal of glossy textures. Images that sometimes seem to come to life from the beautiful pages of glamorous and intellectual magazines. At the same time these images seem to come from a way farer interstitial space conducive to friction that we can call shared cosmos. Friction, conflict, release, reconstruction. The artist's paintings take this journey into their own emotional issues making them a shared topic to be explored and discussed. The use of paint and the chromatic choice have clear reference to the abstract expressionist mode. Instinctive, purely random as much as well designed: the value of the expression of one's most sincere self through the wise competence of the medium and a particular attention to the composition of the painting. Tuxedodoom's colors seem to slam into each other, overlap and collide. The impression in front of these works of art is that of witnessing a chromatic struggle, as in traditional Brazilian art, an elegant capoeira of colors that through choreographic variations decrees an unexpected and disinterested winner. In the works presented at the gallery, we can see a common element that disturbs the apparent compositional harmony. The intervention of an almost opposite color that enters disruptively into the previously balanced image. A wound, a scratch, a scream that with its strength pierces the surface and so pierces the heart of the viewer. What is surprising is that the blatant fuck you that these works of art declare to the aesthetic balance, turn out paradoxically very balanced and pleasantly seductive.
Art Curator Erika Gravante
tuxedodoom
20
tuxedodoom
26
tuxedodoom
33
tuxedodoom
47
tuxedodoom
50
Ulrika Jonasson Dreams are there to be fulfilled. Goals are there to be achieved. Both are fresh and changeable, but only you and no one else can make the choice. Because you always have a choice, so what are you waiting for? (Ulrika Jonasson) Ulrika Jonasson brings her very intense emotions, colored red at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S. An intense palette, a way of expressing oneself directly, strongly, out of the ordinary. Sincere to the core, brutal. What the observer appreciates in Ulrika's art is the expressive and communicative power. The series that the artist presents originated in Spain in summer 2021. is a riot of feelings and emotions and is pure intuition, pure communication with the deepest being, no pencil was used. About Fuck you! the artits says "What becomes the consequences of how we communicate with each other? What’s the sign for you to give up?". It is about conflict. Conflict in communication, struggle, and surrender. The words to describe Watch out!, used by the artist are emblematic: "What's the price of always looking for the good in people?" Becoming aware that others are not our mirrors. The good in us, projected on others leads to have expectations and always be unsatisfied. And finally Hope: "They say hope is the last thing that abandons you. I’ll say that you may abandon yourself, when making decisions. So, what are you waiting for? Just fucking go for it".
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Ulrika Jonasson
Fuck you!
Ulrika Jonasson
Watch out!
Ulrika Jonasson
Hope
Vaida Kacergiene
For the exhibition “F**K U” at the M.A.D.S. Art Gallery Vaida Kacergiene exposes two works (“Midsummer Evening” and “Midsummer Night”) through which the artist represents many aspects taken from both nature and literature. The one of the feast during the summer period is a very felt theme especially in Northern Europe: it is a moment of happiness and reunion, where people dance, have fun and enjoy typical dishes! This season of the year is also recalled in William Shakespeare's famous comedy “A Midsummer Night's Dream”. Starting from these elements, Vaida succeeds to extrapolate the idea of feast at its best depicting an extremely luxuriant setting that warms the heart of the observer thanks to the use of vivid and penetrating nuances. Each shade envelops the observer, immersing him/her completely into an atmosphere of joy and well-being. In “Midsummer Evening”, the sky is colored with different shades, changing from pink, passing through gold up to blue, indicating that the sun is about to disappear in favors of the shadows brought by the magic of the evening. The horizon line is defined by a series of bushes or trees in the distance, which are reflected in the waves of the crystal-clear water shown.
Vaida Kacergiene
At the center of the work is placed the party, while all around you can enjoy a mystical and overwhelming atmosphere. The green of nature is so reassuring that the observer is called to dive inside it, to actively participate in the party. In fact, placed in the left corner, a woman with long hair and a crown of flowers on her head seems to take the observer into the feast. The same young woman can be seen in “Midsummer Night”, but on the opposite side: with a torch in her hand, she illuminates both her face and the entire right side of the canvas. Two other elements that radiate the surrounding atmosphere are the moon and the candles on the surface of the water. The whiteness and purity of the Moon's white gives the painting a beam of serenity but also that halo of mystery that transports the observer into the heart of the night. Instead, the candles with their enveloping light create a gentle contrast between warm and cold nuances, emphasizing the blue and black shades of the water.
Art Curator Alessia Perone
Vaida Kacergiene
Midsummer Evening
Vaida Kacergiene
Midsummer Night
Vajjaz “Witness and stand back from nature, that is the first step to the soul’s freedom.” (Sri Aurobindo) Often it is a random encounter to bring forth something new inside us; in the best cases this could upset our own artistic identity. Everything that happens during life becomes a core part of our essences. The painter Vajjaz feels free to satisfy what life proposes to him, following the natural flow of it. In doing so he explores how ordinary-looking situations could be translated into Art, which are actually suffused by a mysterious atmosphere, penetrating and transforming any semblance of normality. The artistic career of Vajjaz started by self-taught, this allows him to create his own relationship with colours, giving to each of the endless range of shades an intrinsic meaning. This means that the artist Vajjaz is open to change and to always explore new ways to express himself and his own soul: his Art, therefore, is dynamic and changing - as he is himself. The painter gets away from those rules that in a certain sense become a cage and he finds a new freedom of expression, associating also a symbolic value. And then, the artist Vajjaz is striving to give to those who are looking at his artworks endless possibilities of interpretation of reality and of what characterizes their own path.
Art Curator Manuela Fratar
Vajjaz
Liberarsia (Break free)
Valeri Cranston
Valeri Cranston exposes for the exhibition “F**K U” at M.A.D.S. Art Gallery five artworks (“Geyser”, “Magnetic”, “Moody”, “Shine Through”, “Vortice”) through which she lets herself be carried away by her emotions and by the creative act. The artist, in fact, emphasizes the play of light and shadow that capture the attention of the viewer, leading her on a journey based on sensorial perceptions: the goal is to explore her soul. The final effect is a kaleidoscope of colors and impetuous movements, which conveys innovation and great temperament in the use of such vibrant and lively tones. The fusion of light and color creates a powerful dynamism, emphasizing the multiple shapes of each image as well as an intense chromatic contrast. This movement is constantly evolving and is unstoppable, as it remains an immutable principle that defines the essence of the reality in which every human being lives. Valeri contributes precisely to this process, encouraging the viewer to be dynamic, full of life and joyful! By expressing all this energy, she creates in the viewer an explosion of shades of color and contrasting sensations. Despite the progressive change within each work, Valeri highlights all those connections that attract one another and emerge vividly from the pictorial surfaces. In this way, the observer can constantly and actively follow the change of form and color. As in a dance, in a meditative action not conceived and unplanned in the way it is performed and in its final effects, the works reveal the artist's ego, and all the vital tension is transferred from them to the viewer. Valeri manages to transform everything into an otherworldly vision that takes the viewer into a parallel universe where everything becomes more suggestive, managing to overturn what is perceivable to the human eye, upsetting the ordinary and promoting a new and unique way of perceiving reality. Valeri Cranston creates such imaginative structures that merge with the viewer's deepest emotions.
Art Curator Alessia Perone
Valeri Cranston
Geyser
Valeri Cranston
Magnetic
Valeri Cranston
Moody
Valeri Cranston
Shine Through
Valeri Cranston
Vortice
Valeria Secret
The thin line between reality and fantasy is often blurred and broken in Valeria Secret’s artworks. With vibrant and vivid colours, she paints realistic human forms and worlds where natural beauty, luxury items, high fashion and wildlife mingle without a fundamental loss of identity. Hers is a contemporary magical realism, an oxymoron characterised by a juxtaposition of different worlds and things, by the meticulous and unusual arrangement of details that make the real-world setting unfamiliar, uncanny and beyond reality. Her 114x146cm painting “Sinner Club” is a perfect example of this twilight zone between reality and fantasy. “This painting stands for a modern interpretation of 7 deadly sins having a party all together”, Valeria explains. The scene takes place on a black background, where the 7 sins are humanised in seemingly female bodies except for two: Sloth, the first figure from the right, wears green trousers and has a 404 error instead of the head, it has no gender and no motivation, it is just having a cigarette; while Wrath, having a more masculine figure, wears a black suit and a bear mask, “a very classic example of wildness in mythology”. Wroth is busy dancing with Envy, depicted as Medusa, with a red dress and green, snakes hair; she is wearing virtual reality glasses because she does not accept her own life “and prefers living in illusion”. Gluttony is depicted as a sensual waitress; wearing only a white apron and a lobster accessory on her head, she is serving oysters, the status symbol of overconsumption. Next to her, Pride fiercely looks at the viewers’ eyes wearing a pink fur coat and a Fabergé egg on her head, “a symbol of Russian aristocracy”. In the foreground, Lust and Greed: the former with long, black boots and a mask covering her face, is crawling in a sensual pose; the latter wears bitcoins as a necklace and "is willing to roll the dice to try the luck”. This painting represents Valeria’s plays in art, where she uses existing symbols and allegory to create odd spaces and situations; the figures are depicted with extreme naturalism, where the addition of surreal and uncommon details gives the scene a mysterious effect. That is all, beholder, you are free to choose your favourite sin!
Art Curator Martina Lattuca
Valeria Secret
Sinner Club
Vic C “Faces rarely deceive You have the soul of your face and the face of your soul.” (Paul Brulat)
Eyes that speak, expressions that reveal moods. Joy and sadness, courage and fear can be read simply by looking at a face. Vic C is a contemporary London based artist born in Bangkok whose works focus on exploring the inner world of man through his face. It cannot lie: it is the mirror of our soul, it is the story of our experiences, it is the description of our emotions. “Elektra” is a digital painting made in 2022 and is part of the Faces #16 series. Marked features and a serious expression characterize the face of the protagonist. Her eyes drawn at different heights become the metaphor of her vision of the world: sometimes she looks at reality as it is; she often prefers to see what surrounds her from her personal point of view - more of a dreamer, more hopeful but aware of the cruelty and hypocrisy that surrounds her every day. The nose is like a large split that divides the face into two parts: the one on the left - pure white - symbolizes carefree moments and positive adventures; the one on the right - purple, almost livid identifies with the pain and difficulties of the past. Strong color contrasts characterize the painting thanks to the use of the three primary colors: red for the background, blue for the hair and lips and yellow for the dress. Vic through his works talks about us and with us: look at his works, listen to his characters and get to know them and yourself better.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Vic C
Elektra
Vlads Beregovs "We are more and more connected, more informed, more stimulated but existentially more and more alone." (Tonino Cantelmi)
A lover of people, but perhaps more than animals, Vlads Beregovs reveals himself to be a very nonconformist and dynamic artist, constantly looking for an understanding of the world, a world dominated by total chaos. This is what drives him to make digital art his own safe place, appointed to the revelation of the truth linked to the rational world in which we live. His art tries to focus attention on how much, nowadays, people are so immersed in the digital world that they have totally lost the knowledge of real life, the life that is really worth living. This conception of his artistic poetics is successful as it is implemented precisely through the creation of a digital work of art, which stands as an aesthetic representation of the "modern chaos" in which we live. We can't control the chaos, but we can accept it, live with it and try to live our own adventures.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Vlads Beregovs
Skeleton's Adventures
Wendy Cohen
Wendy Cohen is an artist living in Sydney, her production and artistic expression focuses on color, shapes, lines and on their relationship. What the artist expresses are her most intimate states of mind, she creates works of art by perfectly calibrating all the elements that participate in the creation of the work, the colors are carefully chosen and thus also the realization of the forms is made coherent with the colors the artist choose. Wendy Cohen is a guest for the first time at an exhibition organized by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, on the occasion of "F ** KU" she exhibits "Diffusion" a work that recalls the direction taken by Paul Klee in his journey towards abstraction, in particular "ad parnassus" of 1914. The colors used by Cohen are multiple, extremely soft but lively, create an ethereal atmosphere that is firm in time. The geometric element is the protagonist of the work, as the artist herself points out, the forms are what make the movement of the work and what the artist focuses on. Part of the work is made with the technique of color field painting, the background, for example, recalls the work "Summer Angel" of 1984 by Helen Frankenthaler, but still Mark Tobey with the work "Written over the plains" ( 1950). Wendy Cohen with "Diffusion" creates an atmosphere that reconciles the journey towards the interior of the individual, every little detail arouses different emotions and moods and this makes the work extremely interesting.
Art Curator Martina Viesti
Wendy Cohen
Diffusion
Wina You will learn the hard way that in the long journey of life you will meet many masks and few faces. (Luigi Pirandello) Wina is a talented Canadian resident artist. The focal point of her art is centered on a heartfelt fascination with the speed of the contemporary world. To keep up with his surroundings, modern man must adapt to move just as quickly, letting himself be carried away by a whirling frenzy that prevents him from stopping. Wina tries to represent the infinite potential of the perpetual motion of our daily life using photography - static in itself - making it a perfect expression of movement with the help of digital tools. The work Ego - presented on the occasion of the F**K U exhibition - is a successful example of experimental photography, which perfectly expresses the sensation of the mobility of a woman in motion. But the focus of the work does not allude to physical and objective speed, on the contrary it becomes an opportunity to further reflect on the intimate and invisible consequences of belonging to an extremely changing external environment. If the speed on the one hand allows to live a plurality of experiences, on the other it takes away the stability of a lasting and fully lived joy. We are thus faced with a sketched humanity, confined to the most superficial version of itself, unable to show its essence. What remains is a plurality of inconsistent masks which, like ghostly apparitions, modulate themselves on the faces, adapting to the circumstances. The artist uses art to question the growing tendency in the modern world to "camouflage" the true identity and uniqueness of people behind empty disguises, making it increasingly difficult to recognize a real face in the midst of a multitude of ephemeral masks.
You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore. (William Faulkner)
Art Curator Chiara Rizzatti
Wina
Ego
Wolff Machine Company
The audience as a performer. Wolff Machine Company presents “Smile” for the “F**K U” Mixed Reality Art exhibition at M.A.D.S. Art gallery. The artist’s objective is to elevate the relationship between the audience and the piece of art. Surrealists removed the utility function from objects to present them as works of art and to give them a symbolic function, which could vary depending on the beholder’s point of view. The audience acted actively in the work of art by creating a meaning from it. “Smile” is portrayed as an abstract composition created with cool green and blue tones, delimitating areas waiting to be discovered by a presence, which could be part of the audience or part of the art piece. “Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information”, stated by Man Ray leads us to believe in the importance of creativity over the meaning of reality. As an abstract composition, we do not witness a figurative object waiting to have a new function. “Smile” is created to become part of the audience and entice them to accept its own nature, which is the achieved fulfillment when we break free and take our own place in a world created to perceive inspiration.
Art Curator Karla Peralta Málaga
Wolff Machine Company
Smile
Wolfgang Jasper
“It will be difficult for the casual viewer to decipher the work without spending some time with each piece.” says the American artist of German origin, Wolfgang Jasper. His works, in fact, present unexpected associations of disparate elements, abstract without a doubt, yet with specific and clear references to human elements. Here and there we can find anthropomorphic heads, biomorphic forms and other strange and enigmatic elements that make us compare his works, with due differences, to those of the German and French surrealists. Consequently, a quick glance at the works is not enough to decipher these tangles of life arranged in a harmonious relationship. Each person, looking at his works, will find himself digging inside himself and will be able to read within these works past and future experiences since these forms represent aspirations, desires, fears, longings, guilt, hope and past transgressions manifested and suffered. These artworks, apparently so far from us, tell us about who we are and who we could be, as if they were magical crystal spheres. Wolfgang Jasper then becomes like a magician who can read us deeply. This is Wolfgang Jasper’s amazing ability. "Modern Immigration" and "New World Order" are made with oil and wax on wood and the surface appears, therefore, rough and grainy, but at the same time, surprisingly bright, accomplices to the colors chosen by the artist. "Do Not Pass Go" is, instead, a charcoal on rag paper and here we can see all the different perceptive and imaginative abilities of the artist. To those who love painting, drawing may seem something "less", but in the eyes of those who know how to see it, it turns out to be not only equal, but even something more. In this work we can see the vibrations of the charcoal, the nuance, its interruption and its "hesitation", in a wonderful dance of light and dark. The titles of the works of the American artist are quite impactful, as well as his works, and they refer to contemporary themes, close to the world in which we live. Wolfgang Jasper proves to be a complex, deep, thoughtful artist; he leaves nothing to fate, but every detail is carefully thought out.
Art Curator Francesca Catarinicchia
Wolfgang Jasper
Do Not Pass Go
Wolfgang Jasper
Modern Immigration
Wolfgang Jasper
New World Order
Xris "I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?" (Vincent Van Gogh) Xris is the artistic name of Christiane Duflos, the daughter of a very skilled painter and artist. Her paintings are always a riot of life energy, a circle of colours that infuse strong contrasting sensations that fascinate and involve the viewer. The emotional whirlwind that Xris creates is overwhelming. The time-suspended atmospheres of his abstract works are reminiscent of those of Turner. Nature is a great protagonist in her works. Xris starts from it and dissects emotional concepts, creating indescribable, dazzling mixes of colours and emotions. Her preferred technique, oil painting, highlights her expressive abilities because she is able to blend pigments in a soft and sinuous way. She often uses a palette with warm colours that turn to yellow, green and blue. White lends light to her creations, while it is rarer that she uses black, as in the case of "The Last Whirlwind". Here the brushstrokes are spontaneous and go towards the centre, creating an intriguing visual play of oblique lines. A colourful chaos that represents an inner whirlwind, an emotional storm that sweeps everything away and allows new beginnings. The power of nature and its inherent strength is clearly evident in "Oeil du Cyclone". Blues and blues blend harmoniously with each other creating a fluid movement, an enveloping rhythm. Xris plays with shapes and the title by giving an eye shape with blue brushstrokes. Here, too, the theme of the storm returns. The pigment is dense and textured, as in the painting "Adama". The contrast between the colour tones creates dynamism and outlines the shapes. The red is characterised by bold, bursting and energetic marks, as opposed to the more fluid and rippling blue. Xris paints an abstract landscape, de-constructing a realistic vision and interpreting it through her mood. The artwork is pure energy. The beauty of the natural world and its incredible power are characteristics that the artist takes up in her paintings, emphasising how powerless man is in the face of them. It is no coincidence that Xris rarely depicts human beings as realistic subjects. She prefers that nature speaks for itself, that the marks left on the canvas communicate directly with the viewer.
Art Curator Ilaria Falchetti
Xris
The last whirlwind
Xris
Oeil du Cyclone
Xris
Adama
Yang Liu "Photography is the work of the soul." (Elliot Erwitt)
Chinese by birth but now a citizen of Canada, Yang Liu has made photography his medium of reference for artistic creation. For the artist, photography is not just a complex apparatus for the documentation of external reality but a real element to express one's being and one's inspirations. Yang Liu's "Landscape Code" series amazes first of all for the composition of the entire work of art, the result of great work. The completely altered colors that characterize the entire composition initially give a sense of displacement, before the observer can dwell on the individual details and understand the integrity of the representation. Yang Liu's photographs represent a parallel world, with its own colors and shapes, a world of strong expressiveness that allows the observer full freedom of immersion and understanding.
Art Curator Federica Schneck
Yang Liu
Landscape Code 01
Yang Liu
Landscape Code 02
Yang Liu
Landscape Code 03
Yasagure Neko It is a beautiful experience to stay on the terraces of Kiyomizu-dera in autumn. The air is fresh, the red trees accompany us on our way, watching us from their tall, fire-coloured crowns. In the air you can feel tranquillity, harmony and a sense of gratitude to the world and to what you are feeling at that moment. Yet there is something wrong. Something out of place that goes beyond the natural and habitual flow of events. A golden light breaks through the clouds and reflects on the dark walls of the temple and on us. The beam of light is dazzling and our eyes hurt. It cannot be the sun, the autumn sun is lukewarm and tired, preparing for winter's rest. So what is it? What is this light source that floods the whole landscape and ourselves? We are still not aware of what is happening, we still cannot imagine what will happen within a couple of seconds. And so it is that in a flash we are catapulted into another dimension. Is it reality? We don't know. Is it a dream? We are not sure yet. The ground seems to be falling under our feet, or rather, rather than collapsing, it seems to be spinning, and the view doubles. Now there are two temples, two tree gardens, two skies. Now everything is a mirror of the other and vice versa. We lose our sense of direction, we can no longer understand the place we knew, now our senses are at the mercy of events. Then, the epiphany. A multitude of colourful, thin, sinuous lines unfold before our eyes. They stand free, occupying, together with small coloured dots, the entire space of the composition. Then these elements curve and make a spiral motion that encompasses in a flash all that our eyes were serenely observing a moment ago: the sky, the garden, the Kiyomizu-dera. The whole world is now trapped in these vortexes. Reality as we know it is no longer the same. 2 whirlwinds split into 4. Now a great whirlwind takes up all the space on the stage to be represented. Its centripetal force engulfs any information coming from the real world and transforms it into thin filaments obliged to support the circular motion. The world is no longer the same, or perhaps, what we have observed from the beginning has never been reality. Yasagure Neko transports us to other dimensions, to unknown places where space-time coordinates are lost, completely annihilated by the artist's use of colour and manipulation. From the real to the unreal, from known reality to a new universe. Only Yasagure Neko has the coordinates for these spaces and knows the way to reach them. All we have to do is follow.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Yasagure Neko
Himitsukichi
Yasagure Neko
KY
Yasagure Neko
Taimu
Yasser MxMyA Yasser MxMyA (They/Them) is a multidisciplinary artist from Syria and Germany, dedicated to Architecture, Art and Activism. Their works serve an emerging community of artist newcomers in Berlin and support the onboarding process into the NFT (Non-Fungible-Tokens) world under the main frame project “KALIMAT“ (Arabic for words), which ventures the metaverse and the new digital platform leading eventually to a video game. At “F**K U” exhibition hosted by M.A.D.S. Art Gallery, Yasser presents “FKyU-Ar”; a 30 seconds video hand drawn, digitalized, then digitally painted and postproduced. The work features a series of symbols (using the arabic spelling of FKU) that are distributed on a reticulated background in blue, purple and green tones: as the video progresses, these symbols move repeatedly in a mechanical way, changing their colors and projecting like neon lights. For this work, Yasser takes inspiration on the one hand from glass, trying to reproduce the effect of its refraction property and fabrication process, and on the other from calligraphy and its etymological path, which here blend together. Indeed, In Arabic writing, the letters‘ pronunciation can literally move when adding certain strokes to them (Diacritics). There are five kinds of movements, which attend to different situations in life: elevated (U), representing the power of action and the object, it is the weakest to break among the other moves though; unfolded (A), underlying the power of elevated movement, but defeats it in effect, it is the subject, and the descriptive element of adverbs; swept (Y), the most powerful move of all, representing the “swept on the floor“ kind of situation, it is the Dative mark of the language; still (•), when it comes at the end of a word, it usually induces a poetic narrative. It is the Genetive mark of the language. The last move depicted in the Artwork is the one for stressing a letter, it looks line a rotated 3 and acts as a hidden duplicating agent, only read by trained eyes. Each change in the movements of a word can lead to massive alteration of the word and possibly its meaning. This is one of the many majestic facets of the arabic language. Yasser wisely manages to reproduce it in his profound and fascinating work.
Art Curator Matilde Della Pina
Yasser MxMyA
FKYU-Ar
Yolene Art is a way to touch souls and humans, a way to confront each individual (Yolene)
Yolene (real name Inès Pelletier) is a young artist, she shows at the international exhibition "F**K U", hosted by the international art gallery M.A.D.S. her cultural openness. La femme habitée, L'amour and Protect our youth are vivid and colorful representation of her oneiric universe. Her paintings are intense from the point of view of the chosen color palette, very bright; they are intense for the figures that have a well-defined outline; they are intense for the universal and deep messages that the artist highlights. This denotes how deeply Yolene lives her emotions that she gives to the world through her magnificent talent. In this way, indirectly, the viewer can live the strong experience aroused by the vision of the artist's works. Her style is original and remarkable, it is her signature; her figures are part of a dreamlike imaginary. La femme habitée is "a woman connected with the good and the bad side of the world. Indeed, the right hand when you watch it is the hand connected to the good side, and the other one is connected to the 'worse' one. Up and down, good, and bad are the main topics of this painting. Connection with the energies that surrounds us in general and in our daily lives are the main topics of that painting". Simple, direct and coincidental are the messages of the artist, immediate, exactly like L'amour: "a painting representing the complementarity between the man and the woman. The ideal couple is repre-sented here, always respecting the equality between him and her, here knowing that she is at the first plan of the painting and that he is at the 'second plan'. It is also a way to 'universalize' love and to show that, as the English language for humans, love is also a universal way for humans to communicate and be understood". Protect our youth "is about the protection of the youth; indeed, the mother is trying to protect her son about here, the 'cigarette' which represents the 'danger'. This painting is about the sane bond that links a mother and her son, child, and the real side of what an adult is supposed to bring energetically and in terms of education to a child discovering the world".
Art Curator Mara Cipriano
Yolene
La femme habitée
Yolene
L'amour
Yolene
Protect our youth
Yoshi “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Artist Yoshi, was born in Okayama Prefecture and now lives in the Japanese city of Osaka. Thanks to the vision of a graffiti, when he was still a middle school student, he begins to enter the world of expression. He left college and began to explore photography but unable to find a strong emotion like that experienced in front of a graffiti, he begun to create works with multiple exposure. Using digital cameras, he has always kept a distance from conventional photography, trying instead to create works of art like paintings that are apparently visible in photos. His images are a fusion of elements; people and plants captured by the camera lens. Yoshi tells us about his style and through his creations he wants to convey the emotion that he himself felt firsthand looking at the graffiti depictions. In his projects there are no shapes but only mixed colors that recall memory and experience through color, it is as if we saw through the lens of the photographic lens what the artist sees. "Colors - Purple haze" in fact starts from a color rather than from a shape; from the nuance comes the motif that expands on the canvas creating a vortex of light that directly affects the observation that one feels part of the work and can be completely immersed inside. The painting thus achieves an order of clarity and balance dictated by the color and the facets it assumes in the various details of the nuance and chromatic change. The style is simple and minimal, a clear sign of reference to photography intended as a representation of reality through the eye of the photographer but with references to graffiti, dear to the painter.The canvas in fact offers a lively sense of brightness.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Yoshi
Colors - Purple haze
Yu Kagawa Dust. Tiny corpuscles unravelling before the eyes, obscuring and confusing the vision. The eyelids are half-closed just enough to have a relaxed expression, in preparation for falling asleep. A muffled atmosphere unfolds before our eyes. There is silence, there is nothing to disturb our state of mind. There is warmth; as if we were enclosed in a cocoon that protects us from external agents, from the influences of real life. There is semi-darkness, a semi-darkness that allows us to slowly squint our eyes, heedless of the rest of things. Our body temperature cools down, our breathing becomes slow and regular, our body prepares to complete all those tasks that only sleep can accomplish. Memories and moments of everyday life are processed, the body's equilibrium is restored and we await a new awakening. Everything is calm, everything is at peace. We slowly detach ourselves from the world of the real to reach another dimension. The sounds we hear in the distance do not interest us, do not even bother us; the blanket of darkness has fallen over us and we can do nothing but accept it. And yet, this is not always the case. We do not always welcome sleep as something natural, as something necessary to restore the health of our bodies. Sometimes sleep can be frightening, the dark can be gripping and the bed can be frightening. The act of falling asleep is experienced as a moment of stress. The oblivion of sleep is something to be shunned. A globular shape stands out before our eyes. All around is a dark green space. The circular element seems to be illuminated by a fluorescent light and reveals itself to our eyes in all its colourful and multiform essence. A bluish circle is surmounted by another yellowish element. A sinuous pink shape stands in the centre of the composition. Everything is blurred, blurred in its details and sensations; everything is smoky because, let us remember, we are about to fall asleep. And yet this image rings in our heads, we feel it approaching and retreating slowly, very slowly. It does not want us to fall asleep. The reminiscences of the day that has just gone by flow through the head and take shape in abstract and globular elements, a myriad of elements corresponding to the emotions and events of the day. One cannot sleep until tiredness takes over. Let us return to the dust. A dust that blurs the vision and makes the features of the space we are in unrecognisable. Tiny dots, pixels, tiny circular elements, atoms. Our vision is blurring, our senses are failing us. Sleep is calling and we cannot do otherwise. Yu Kagawa tells us about the personal moment of falling asleep through images. A moment long experienced as a disturbing element, a time of stress and a source of worry. And yet she has managed to extrapolate her feelings, her emotions, and to transmit them in her works. A cathartic process, that's for sure. An elaboration that allowed her to fight face to face against her monsters and win the confrontation. Now sleep has arrived, a quiet, sweet and peaceful sleep.
Art Curator Lisa Galletti
Yu Kagawa
Sleeping
Yu Kagawa
I don't like Monday
Yu Kagawa
Daytime Afterimage
Yukihiro Inada “I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.” (Vincent Van Gogh)
The work of the artist Yukihiro Inada is a process of manifestation of emotions. In a world now characterized by frenzy, where we are continually exposed to change, emotions tend to lose their meaning, the feelings of the moment disappear without being recognized. The artist Yukihiro invites us to stop for a moment, breathe and think, dwell on the details to give importance and strength to everything, every little aspect of our life that holds a profound meaning even if sometimes we don't think about it. He heals the internal emotions, cultivates them and paints them on the canvas. His paintings reflect his interiority and his passions; we can see in particular the mountaineering activity that accompanied him throughout his adolescent period; the sun, the rain, the sound of the wind, the smell of the forest transmitted through brushstrokes of acrylics on the canvas. Each form does not exist for itself but in relation to the others and in this way the void always takes on a different form, in motion. For this reason the form exists thanks to the void and the void exists to give shape to things. The artist creates a perfect balance between empty and full, making us understand the importance of the complementarity of the elements. Through these elements, Yukihiro's work tells us the story, the flow of emotions that led to his creation and that touches us deeply. The story does not stop on the canvas, it is not imprisoned by colors, but frees essence and feelings, and makes us feel struck and irradiated with light. Artist of feelings, emotions, light and life, Yukihiro gives us works that are an inner exercise. Through the study of his own person, the artist is able to concentrate the flow of thoughts and concretize them in works of art, formed by emblematic and mellow colors that stand out from the flat surface of the canvas, creating a whirlwind of moving emotions.
Art Curator Giulia Fontanesi
Yukihiro Inada
Anger
Yvo Lucas “The artist must exercise not only his eyes, but also his soul.” (Wassily Kandinsky)
No fixed pattern to follow; let the brush be guided by instinct and the flow of emotions. Art is powerful, universal, and free because it allows people to travel with their mind to unexplored destinations and to get to know parts of them that they did not even know belonged to them before. Yvo Lucas is a contemporary artist based in Barcelona, who through his works invites viewers to ask themselves not the meaning of the work, but something more profound and personal: what do you feel while looking at them? His paintings are characterized by curious chromatic effects and the play of contrasts between large and thin brush strokes. The three paintings analysed were made in 2022 with the acrylic on canvas technique. In “Signals” broken and quick red and pink lines overlap each other, covering part of the white background. The lines are the protagonists of the work: they are raindrops that bathe a sunny day, they are screams that interrupt a deafening silence, they are messages that we must know how to grasp and understand. In "The wave" the dominant color is blue in multiple shades: turbulent waves that shake the sea become the metaphor of the events that upset the life of each of us. Change does not necessarily mean destruction, but also rebirth and revolution. “The wire”: imaginary threads connect people, souls, thoughts, and emotions. These are invisible threads - which sometimes break, sometimes are eternal - but we know their existence because we feel their strong presence within us. Yvo expresses through art what he cannot say with words: let's observe his works, let's talk to them and let ourselves be carried away by the whirlwind of emotions.
Art Curator Camilla Gilardi
Yvo Lucas
Signals
Yvo Lucas
The wave
Yvo Lucas
The wire
Zeng Yuling
Zeng Yuling is a Chinese artist who studied at the Repin Academy of Fine Art in Russia. She studies as a realist artist, only to discover her passion for abstract art. A direct art in which the artist is able to freely express his emotions and thoughts, without worrying about the technique. After experimenting with various painting techniques, from watercolor to digital art, she discovers in oil painting an affinity with what she wants to express on canvas. In her paintings she plays with textures creating effects of light and shadow together with strong shades. This creates a noticeable pictorial effect on the canvas which conveys a great pathos. Her art is based on the observation of herself and of society. The three paintings that the artist presents in this exhibition tell the process of self-discovery and observation of the behavior of the "I" that reflects the surrounding environment. In particular, the series "Shattered" represents the behavior of the Ego "when we sacrifice ourselves to indulge a trusted person. The" I "shatters into small pieces and will never go back to the way it was before, because an act of this type will never repaid. The three works are characterized by strong colors that increase the tension of the painting. Every brushstroke and every nuance are placed on the canvas with specific attention to help the viewer to visualize what the artist wants to express. Zeng, through her art, wants to overcome his personal limits, strengthening her Ego through introspection and self-confrontation.Her paintings are emotionally strong and push the viewer to an inner reflection guiding him towards new changes.
Art Curator Lucrezia Perropane
Zeng Yuling
Shattered 1
Zeng Yuling
Shattered 2
Zeng Yuling
Shattered 3
Zofia Farrell
Introspection and emotions are the two main characteristics of Zofia Farrell’ paintings that perfectly recall the theme of the ‘F**K U’ exhibition and its aim. These three pieces have a lot in common between them starting from the technique used to create this emphatic and tinged atmosphere: ink on paper that gives birth to the main characters of the scene highlighting them on this monochrome background. The titles themselves are very symbolic too, with just one word they describe what the scene and so, what the artist wants to transmit with her creations. ‘Meditation’ is the only one to have just the black ink used to represent the subject and this is symbolic to understand the ability of Zofia to create emphasis just using simple elements. The young lady is sitting, with her face looking down on her feet which are confused in a black spot of frenetic brushstrokes with the arms. Looking attentively at the scene, we can see that the whole body is not so defined in this contours as the head and the facial features are. This meaningful characteristic is visible also in ‘Love’ and less in ‘Metamorphosis’ and it is significant if we associate this choice to the concept of the exhibition. The three female figures are the personification of reason, the human intellect that influences lives and that comes from the head and its thoughts. It is just for this that the artist has decided to give more importance to the representation of this part of the human body, as to remember that we have our own head, and we must react to what surrounds us. ‘Love’ and ‘Metamorphosis’ are, with their light colours, the yellow and the light blue, a sort of positive pieces, better defined in their details and with an attention more focused in transmitting the importance of our feelings.
Art Curator Martina Stagi
Zofia Farrell
Meditation
Zofia Farrell
Metamorphosis
Zofia Farrell
Love