NEW YORK, NY.- GR gallery announced the opening of 'Hidden Lights', a solo exhibition by Geppy Pisanelli. 'Hidden Lights' offers an immersive experience that challenges perceptions and inspires reflection. Pisanelli's latest series emerges from both a narrative and compositional need to explore the dynamic interplay between nature and artifice. Specifically, the artist interest was the visual formalization of works that contrast natural elements (like water beds, trees, mountains, and waterfalls) and artificial elements (such as minimal structures, shelter and artificial lighting).
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A hallmark of Pisanelli’s artistry lies in his creation of archetypal images. His paintings may initially appear as realistic depictions but gradually unveil layers of metaphorical and mental associations. These works act as conduits for contemplation, inviting viewers to delve into the expressive potential of painting as a medium for analyzing human existence and the multifaceted nature of reality.
The juxtaposition in Pisanelli's artworks highlights the relationship between nature and human-made artifice, placing artificial objects in unexpected natural settings. These compositions trigger a sense of alienation both visually and intellectually, which is also reflected in the exhibition's title Hidden Lights, immediately presenting itself as an oxymoron: light, typically associated with visibility and illumination, is described as hidden, creating a contrast right in the title itself. These pieces generate a layered effect of visibility and obscurity, achieved by the artist through a carefully balanced pictorial composition of shapes, subjects, and content in relation to each other. Regarding the content, what interested the artist in these works was the visual construction of the relationship between light and darkness, not merely as a retinal perception but also as a reflection of the human inner condition. Indeed, in these paintings, despite the references to nature, the work can be interpreted as representing an intimate state. In fact, what is portrayed is an external space that also mirrors an internal one, a space of human existence that is both conceptual and theatrical simultaneously. These "threshold images", like Pisanelli uses to call them, draw the viewers into a theatrical landscape, exploring human nature and societal conflicts. These narratives, oscillating between abandonment and hope, solitude and community, resonate deeply amid global challenges like pandemics, migrations, wars, and climate change.
"It is in fact emblematic that in my last series of works, the events that come to life depicted in the paintings visually quote the incipit that David H. Lawrence prophetically composed in 1928," says Geppy Pisanelli. Reflecting on our tragic era, he adds, "Lawrence suggested resilience and new beginnings amidst devastation with his words: 'Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes.' These words deeply resonate with me, encapsulating the spirit of renewal amidst tumults that I aim to capture in my work."
Geppy Pisanelli (b. 1971) is an Italian visual artist who focuses on researching and exploring painting as communication medium. Starting from his Italian Pictorial Cultural Identity, Pisanelli aims to constantly push and reformulate the boundaries of pictorial narration and formal composition. Through a dynamic interplay of tradition and innovation, He crafts a distinctive visual language that resonates with contemporary audiences. Solo exhibitions in the U.S. include: Chelsea West Gallery, New York, (2010), Kips Gallery, New York, (2011), (2013), Casa Italiana Zerrilli-Marimò at New York University (2015), Mizuma & Kips Gallery (2021). Solo exhibitions in Italy include: Royal Palace of Caserta, Caserta (2010), Galleria studio legale, Naples (2014) PAN Palazzo delle Arti Napoli (2016) Palazzo Ponte dei Pegni, Caserta, (2017). He lives and works between Naples and New York.
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