LONDON.- rosenfeld porcini announces its themed exhibition entitled Verticality which features works by Roberto Almagno, Enrique Brinkmann, Lu Chao, Leonardo Drew, Herbert Golser, Riccardo Guarneri, Naoya Inose, Marijke Keyser, Robert Muntean, Antonio Riello, Nicola Samorì, José Santos III, Raina Schoretsaniti, Levi van Veluw, Veronica Vasquez and Uthman Wahaab.
If one reflects on the selection process of art history which evolves over decades and even centuries, we can see that Horizontality gradually morphs into Verticality. Only those artists who survive the sand in the hourglass will become part of the pantheon and be remembered centuries on.
The aim is to approach a basic dichotomy such as Verticality/Horizontality from both a visual and textual perspective. Rather than display artists who utilise written text as a way to impart didactic information, there, instead, is a series of talks in the gallery during the duration of the exhibition.
A vertical power structure seen against the weakness of a horizontally inspired democracy where many contrasting voices can be heard has great contemporary relevance with the current infatuation with ‘populism’. Our modern cities are dominated by vertical structures which have been constructed out of necessity, as horizontal space in our crowded urban environments has become so scarce. Yet has the quality from both an aesthetic and utilitarian standpoint been improved? “Monogamy’ has dominated two of the great Western religions even though contemporary life has increasingly called into question this model. These three themes will be explored in the talks.
Verticality shall feature pieces by nine sculptors ranging from Roberto Almagno’s gravity defying abstract wooden work to Nicola Samori’s five metre figurative creation which manages to straddle both contemporary art yet also draws on the extraordinary tradition of African totemic sculpture. Raina Schoretsaniti also sculpts her formal structure with wood but then covers it with a rich deep red material giving it an unexpected sensuality. Levi van Veluw uses the same material and draws on both Arabic tradition and his continuing desire to create an alternative universe. Leonardo’s Drew’s large scale paper installation embraces a large array of objects all made from cast paper, whilst Jose Santos III has created a large Corinthian column fashioned from an eclectic collection of elements all of which evoke a treasure trove of memories. Veronica Vasquez’s iron structure contains numerous found objects, often gathered from her home or studio in Uruguay, which create a highly intimate and poetic view into her private world. Lastly, Antonio Riello’s complex sculptural installation features a variety of glass urns of varying designs; each containing the ashes of a burnt books belonging to an imaginary Library of Alessandria, arranged in a subjective order of importance.
American artist, Marijke Keyser, is presenting a site-specific sound installation in the courtyard of the gallery. The visitor is being invited to enter an intimate space, where a series of terracotta and ceramic bells create an intricate continuous sound piece.
The exhibition also features the works of five painters and one draughtsman. Uthman Wahaab’s large scale drawing depicting three figures balancing on one another’s shoulders hangs in dialogue with Robert Muntean’s ‘Leone’ which features the legendary Italian director standing on the shoulders of an assistant whilst filming.
Enrique Brinkmann’s four-piece installation is an example of the artist’s preference for a transparent steel mesh as his chosen paint surface as it permits light to seep through yet enables him to paint from both sides. Riccardo Guarneri’s poetic works strike an uncanny balance between line, gesture and form. Inose’s highly detailed idyllic landscape is destroyed by the concrete masses erected in the midst of a naturalised vision of paradise. Lu Chao’s elaborately constructed display of cakes contains what resembles to be a compendium of humanity huddled together, their luggage at the ready for a new but unknown destination. These final two works with their clear political and social overtones lead into the three talks which will create a clear line between the imparting of information by a debate with selected experts in their field, and the emotional charge which can be received from a work of art.
