Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea is proud to present You May Not Believe In Magic..., a group show curated by Michela D'Acquisto. The works of the artists Amy Crehore, Ilaria Del Monte, Camille Rose Garcia and Anne Siemsare permeated by a subtle atmosphere of mystery that subverts the ordinariness of the scenarios depicted, positioning them in the liminal territory where appearance and reality, blending, coexist. It is a not easily definable quid that which, subtly insinuating itself within compositions rendered with detailed accuracy, lends a disorienting quality to the otherwise lucid representation of the world: a confluence of magical elements, ascribable as much to the literary genre of fairy tale as to popular folklore and myth. The timeless harmony of the depiction is disturbed by details that transcend the rules of logic; we are therefore in the presence of works that superimpose sensible reality and visible reality, thus revealing the wonderful aspects of the latter and making the hidden structures that govern it undeniable – «you may not believe in magic but something very strange is happening at this very moment» [1] Heirs of Magical Realism, the genre that, starting from the twenties of the last century, has been emphasizing the intrinsic wonder of the world, the artists are influenced in the same way by Neue Sachlichkeit and Valori Plastici, by Jorge Luis Borges' stories and Dino Buzzati's ones, revisiting these suggestions according to their own style: the resulting works invite to an awakening of the sensibility and propose a vision of the world mediated by the sublime. In the gallery will be present paintings, works on paper and hand-painted ukuleles. Curated by Chiara Pozzi
Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea is proud to present in Little Circus, the gallery space dedicated to special projects, How To Eat Spaghetti Like A Lady, the solo show of the Italian illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli, curated by Chiara Pozzi. The stars of this new series of works, created especially for the exhibition, are women, that Olimpia, with her usual freshness and essential nature of lines and colors, depicts in the act of subverting the rules of conduct that they are usually required to follow in public. The show “How To Eat Spaghetti Like A Lady” overturns the series of photographs of the same name taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt, published in the American magazine Time Life in 1924, which is presented as a tutorial made of eight close-ups portraying a charming model in the act of composedly consuming a plate of spaghetti. Olimpia, who in her illustrations favors the representation of soft, amused and colorful women, gives us a brilliant interpretation of the meaning of “like a lady”, thus drawing a series of portraits of girls who are tasting their plate of spaghetti in a completely singular and authentic way. Distant from established rules of conduct, from unnecessary poses or conventions, the women reveal their creativity and an unexpected and personal attitude. With her works, Olimpia Zagnoli opens a window through which we can glimpse a fragment of the moment when, in their domestic intimacy, women voluntary forget the precepts of their education. And it is exactly at the same time that “they do what shouldn't be done, they create new paths and new languages. There will be the woman who eats her spaghetti in bed, the one who eats them upside-down, the one who weaves them with her own hair, and so on”, says Olimpia. Co-star of this series of works, especially in the screen prints, is color. The figures are shaped by essential and geometric lines, that meet flat and bright backgrounds. A chromatic proficiency, nourished with the observation of the great masters of graphic design and art, and then accurately re-elaborated into a personal visual language. The result is a fresh and essential work, with simple images able to communicate and represent a concept. In her ongoing artistic research, based on the relationship between drawing and three-dimensionality, Olimpia will present for the first time a neon sculpture. Also, in the gallery will be present original works on paper and limited-edition screen prints.
