REFRACTION ANGLE by Lucilla Trapazzo
Another group show by ARS Cultural Movement organized in the buzzing core of Trastevere, Rome, another dialogue occasion among the artists of the eclectic art association founded by Elena Ducu: the voices of the artists in this show differ in their artistic languages; they narrate personal visions of the world, they embody diverse representation ideals, and above all they reveal different intimate landscapes.
The artists observe the outer reality, which becomes the quintessence of self-expression, in a fluid mirror game with the spectator. The viewer thus becomes a witness and the second term of the act of communication. The artists seem to speak with the outer world: “I look at you and I possess you, I observe you and I reproduce you according to my vision”. The viewer, by perceiving the works of art, enters a sort of communion with the very vision of the artist. Therefore the warm sunsets of Elena Ducu, the rough “landscapes” by Lucilla Trapazzo, the withdrawn pictures of Davide Indraccolo, and the women by Nicole Auè, constricted in a vermillion world of pearls, are different voices aiming towards the same purpose, the representation of reality through intimate feelings and formal research. This is the unifying thread of the entire ARS thinking.
NICOLE AUÈ
Parisian from Montmartre, she studied art in Paris, now she lives in Rome. Her works of art are characterized by an inner dichotomy between the depicted subjects and the painting technique. Looking at her paintings, we first discover the elegance of the forms, the bold chromatic value and the attention to the details, all elements citing realism. If we look closer however, we can decipher a deeper meaning. The subjects of Nicole Auè, behind the harmony of the forms and of the colors, hide an intimate and painful feminine world. Her women, dressed in red and enclosed in pearls, hide their faces, like they were subjugated by the very elements that characterize the female collective imagery. The exquisite brushstroke combined with strong, symbolic elements (the red, the pearls), create a world suspended in void, in which the dearth becomes the real subject.Nicole Auè exhibited in several prestigious galleries, like Promoteca in Campidoglio and Castel S’Angelo. Exhibitions of her works have been held in many Italian and European cities (Napoli, Castel dell’Ovo; Berlin, Pinna Bersalin Gallery; Bruges, Jan Garemijn Hall; Utrecht, Grachten Gallerie).
DUCU ELENA
Born In Craiova (Romania) in 1977, Elena Ducu showed since early age a profound passion for colors, light and the reproduction of nature in its details. With her warm sunsets, which seep with feelings, the artist aims to capture the fleeting emotions of the light, moving in the constant flux of ever-changing colors. Elena Ducu wants to capture the very moment of wonder that the eye, with a gasp, is able to perceive. The artist discloses this magic instant through different techniques: abstract painting, sculpture, installation and photography are her media. Her work has been chosen for an exhibition in the prestigious ‘’Reggia di Caserta’’. Her paintings are shown regularly in International group exhibitions. Recent exhibition saw her in Naples (Castel dell’Ovo), Siracusa (Galleria Roma), Florence (Le Giubbe Rosse), Roma ‘’Biennale di Roma 2012’’, in Bruges – Belgium (Jan Garemijn Hall), in Holland – Utrecht (Grachten Gallerie), Paris (Galerie Tuillierand), in London (ROA Gallery), and in New York (Ward-Nasse Gallery). Her works have been auctioned. She is President and founder of ARS – Cultural Movement, an association, which deals with development and circulation of contemporary art.
DAVIDE INDRACCOLO
Davide Indraccolo approached photography thanks to his innate curiosity and observation spirit. Indomitable voyager, his desire is to donate to the viewers what his eyes are able to seize in the world. Photography seemed to him the right medium to reveal his personal view and his love for reality, in every physical and cultural representation. When we are born, we occupy a space, a center of gravity with a reduced visual angle, but reality is multiple, only by changing our point of view we can hope to get a bigger portion of it. This is the project that Davide Indraccolo carries forward. The landscapes, shaped by the men, that the artist captures in his pictures through the lens of his camera, become “presence” and icons of a ‘’here and now’’ not edulcorated reality. His research aims to find the purity of the eyes, which stay detached, suspending any judgment, in a sort of “Brechtian distance”. It is then task of the viewer, to perceive the sense of the many different realities portrayed in his photos, none of which has been manipulated.
LUCILLA TRAPAZZO
Lucilla Trapazzo paints bodies and body parts mostly in earth colors. Her technique varies from oil and pastels to the use of the modeling paste and found materials as canvasses. Her works are a synthesis of urgency of expression and inward looking. With rough brushstrokes and nervous carving of edges, Lucilla Trapazzo’s paintings depict moments of solitary and intimate inner landscapes.
“The first elements that we are aware of in the technique of Lucilla Trapazzo is the energy, almost of a sculptural quality, that she has in representing her women; the way she masters bold colors; and the strong gestures she uses while etching the boundaries of her subjects. There are classical citations in the artistic path of L.T. […], and we can also read an inner suffering in her works (figures closed in themselves almost hiding their grief and disquiet). I appreciate the beauty of L.T.’s paintings and the roundness of the forms, the use of the matter and the radiance of her colors, often contrasting with the solitude and the almost physical throbbing that they evoke.
Tiziana Pettinelli (architect)
