The gallery’s opening hours are from 11am to 5pm.

For examples of Gaetano Fiore’s latest works, please see his profile page: Gaetano Fiore on Celeste.Prize.com

See the location of the RossoCinabro Gallery on Google Maps.

The RossoCinabro Gallery website page on which further details of the exhibition may be found: PERDERSI NEI LABIRINTI DELL’ASTRAZIONE – in Italian, although information can be requested in English.  The exhibition is being organised by Cristina Madini.

Please note that Gaetano Fiore would be interested in licensing his work for use as the basis of designs for limited edtion carpets and rugs.  If you are interested in making such a proposal to Gaetano, please contact me, Alex Roe via Italyisin’s contact system, and I will then contact Gaetano directly.  Note that Gaetano is able to speak German as well as Italian.

Here are some examples of Fiore’s work:

[View with PicLens]

The artworks to be displayed have been drawn from the entries of 705 Artists from Celeste.Prize, and its Italian arm, Premio.Celeste.

Now the commission of judges comprising Mark Gisbourne, Adrienne Goehler, Victoria Lu, has whittled this number down to those 10 which will form part of the ‘dependtendency’ Venice 2009 exhibition.

Four of the 10 winners are Italian.

Another 10 artists works have also be selected to be featured in a special ‘dependtendency‘ exhibition catalogue.

The artists whose work will be displayed on the Isola della Certosa are:

1. Erdogan Bulut,
2. Massimo Cristaldi,
3. Claudia Gambadoro,
4. Giuseppe Gonella,
5. Hektor Mamet,
6. Seung Hee Kang,
7. Peter Monkman,
8. Sara Rossi,
9. Ira Schneider,
10. Yea Jin Song

Of the above ten winners, four are Italian artists – Massimo Cristaldi, Claudia Gambadoro, Giuseppe Gonella, and Sara Rossi.

Details and notes, plus links to the works by the Italian artists, follow.

Claudia Gambadoro

This is Catania artist Claudia Gambadoro’s winning entry:

Notes on artwork: Drawing as a form of conquest…
A childhood game or the building of a whole reality.
Balance/order soon becomes chaos.
Every sign leaves a trace,
Accumulation, the sum total, excess impending,
The environment is saturated by deafening noise
That doesn’t leave room for a new reality.

BOX from claugam on Vimeo.

Massimo Cristaldi

Catania photogragher Massimo Cristaldi’s winning entry:

Notes on artwork:
Ground Zero. A thought on the consequences of a terrorist act that made all of us more aware of the interconnections between East and West of the World.

Giuseppe Gonella

Venetian artist Giuseppe Gonella’s winning entry – Installation, Fantasy / Visionary.  To see the artwork, please click on the link below.

Notes on artwork: Yesterday with tomorrow, there are around 1600 drawings.

A cube of variable dimensions filled with signs.  A cube of infinite traces designed to comprehend and follow an account comprising of memories, forms, and objects.  These traces are formed from everyday waste, from the uncertainly of memory and of the individual.  Traces which are drawings employing various techniques, with waste used as fragments that once combined create a story, a diary, a poetic reminder which I hope, as far as is possible, gives the viewer a dimension of intimacy which may for part of the essence of anyone.

Translated by me, Alex Roe, because there was no translation on the English Celeste.Prize site.

Sara Rossi

Perugia artist Sara Rossi’s winning entry.

Notes on artwork: Serie M 01
Walking around in streets of New York in 2006, I started taking pictures.
This was the beginning of “Meeting People”, a journey of encounters between the faces hidden behind the doorbells and those observing them.

The heart of the project is created by collage creations and acrylic painting on canvas on which the pictures are printed.
The wide black surfaces are loaded with strength, also thanks to the collage creations which give thickness to the subject.
The silver assumes the symbolic character representing the composition’s fulcrum.

The Other Winning Entries

The other winning entries can be seen here:  ‘dependtendency‘ Venice 2009

Works Featured in the dependtendency Catalogue

To see the works which will be featured in the event catalogue:  Works in Catalogue

Remember that the ‘dependtendency’ exhibition is to be held on Venice’s Island of Certosa from the 4th to the 7th, June 2009.

The Italian version, Premio.Celeste, boasts over 13,000 members, nearly 9,000 of whom are artists.  However, do not think only of painting when using the word ‘artist’, for Premio.Celeste features a whole range of different art genres, such as photography and graphic design, sculptor and installations, video and animation, and, of course, pictures.  The diversity is huge, and there is much to see.

As the name implies, artists can win cash prizes for their work, and this must help up their profiles both within, and outside of Italy.  An excellent idea.

Free Membership

Premio.Celeste

Membership of Premio.Celeste is free, and is not limited to artists alone, there are journalists, which is what I’m calling myself, seeing as I am starting to do some freelance journalism work, and blogging is not too far from journalism, when all is said and done.  Since joining, I’ve acquired 12 14 22 30+ friends, which is wonderful.  As you might imagine, many of these friends are artists.

Another nice aspect of the site is that the artists can post details of events featuring their work, however, many of the Italian artists only post details in Italian, which is a shame, as those visiting Italy might like to see the work of their preferred artist in the flesh, so to speak.  This is something I’m looking into changing, as I think it might be interesting for event details to be in English too.  If I get anywhere in this little quest, I’ll report here.

Friends

My profile is here: Italyisin, and if you do happen to have a spare few minutes, I suggest viewing some of the very interesting work by my Premio.Celeste friends, many of who are Celeste Prize winners.  These friends are, so far:

1. Alberto Mileti
2. Giuseppe Galli
3. Mauro Lacqua
4. Isovni Contemporary Visions
5. Marco Bellomi – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Painting
6. Antonio De Luca – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Photo & Digital Graphics
7. Steven Smith – International Friend
8. Leonardo Lenzi – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Photo & Digital Graphics
9. Gaetano Fiore
10. Barbara Karwowska -  Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘07. Category: Painting
11. Gabriela Bodin
12. Maria Chiffi
13. Luciano Civettini
14. Jordi Fornies – International Friend – Winner Celeste Prize ‘09. Category: Painting
15. Juanita Capogna – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Painting
16. Cinzia Tomassini
17. Exhibitionow – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘08. Category: Photo & Digital Graphics.  Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘08. Category: Video, Installation & Sculpture
18. Rossano Liberatore – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Painting
19. Vincenzo Baldini
20. Claudia Ibanez
21. Gabriella Ferlito – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Painting
22. K-soul – Cosmic Garden Holokinetics Laboratory.  Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Video, Installation & Sculpture. Winner:  Celeste Prize 2009. Category: Video & Animation
23. Ilaria Messaggio
24. La Tavolozza – Centre for Art and Culture
25. Michele Lombardo – Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘09. Category: Photo & Digital Graphics. Winner Celeste Prize Italy ‘08. Category: Video, Installation & Sculpture.
26. Daniele Gori -  Winner Celeste Prize International ‘09. Category: Painting
27. Adria – Winner Celeste Prize International ‘09. Category: Painting
28. Rinaldo Cirillo – Winner Celeste Prize ‘09. Category: Painting
29. Carapostol -
30. Paolo Dogà – Art Critic and Curator
31. Carlotta Castelletti

I thoroughly recommend art lovers take a look at the site.  Remember my Celeste Prize profile, where you will find the people listed above is here: Italyisin, so please spend a few minutes looking at the work of the artists listed.  If you like what you see, spread the word about the artist, Celeste Prize site and Italyisin.

A nice touch is the RSS feed for each artists’ ‘Gallery’ – look for ‘Opere‘ in Italian or ‘Artworks‘ in English.  Just click on the RSS symbol over on the right, and you will be notified via your browser, feed reader, or whatever you use to follow feeds, as and when the artist or artists you are following add something new.  If you have no idea what an RSS feed is – look at this video here: Using RSS, a post over on my Blog from Italy site.  Note too that you can alos

If you do not find something that appeals, I will be extremely surprised!  Happy browsing!  Beware, though, this site will have you whiling away many hours.  You have been warned!

Dependtendency – Call for Venice 2009 from celeste.prize on Vimeo.

Not being members of such exclusive clubs can prove to be a substantial, almost insurmountable, obstacle.  After all, if nobody even knows about their work, then the chances of artists gaining valuable exposure, achieving recognition, and making sales, become virtually non-existent.

Banksy Does It

How about then, considering alternative galleries?  Just what, you may well be asking, do you mean by alternative galleries?  Well, for one thing, such galleries surround us.  They are everywhere.  Indeed, their potential for displaying art is almost limitless, as a certain Banksy knows very well.

However, for those artists who are not keen on spending their nights painting walls alla Banksy, there are plenty of other locations which can display art.  Indeed, such locations need to display art, because art is an essential environmental component, not only complimenting, but forming key elements that can make or break the desired visual effect.

Kathleen Warner – Creating Alternative Galleries

California based art dealer Kathleen Warner, who is interestingly, of Italian origin, knows a lot about the creation of alternative galleries.  Her company provides tailor-made solutions to a vast range of well known corporate and hospitality entities.

What Kathleen does is match artists’ works to her clients’ environments.  Clients which, up to now, have included organisations such as Toyota, Bank of America, and the Hilton, Sheraton and Holiday Inn hotel groups.

It is a win-win situation.  Kathleen’s clients obtain interesting works of art which create satisfying environments, while the artists involved, aside from earnings generated via their artistic contributions, gain a level of exposure which traditional galleries, for the most part, simply cannot rival.

Actually, gallery owners themselves are often frequent travellers, buzzing from one art fair to the next, and as travellers, they often stay in up-market hotels.

Just imagine if one such gallery owner finds interesting artwork on display in the foyer and other significant locations in the hotel in which he finds himself.  Yes, she will inquire as to who the artist behind such work is.  Then, it will probably only be a matter of time before the artist concerned is invited to display his work in a gallery.

That is not to mention the multitude of other potential clients an artist can reach as a result of having his or her works on show in boardrooms, corporate headquarters or hotel foyers.

Massive Opportunities for Artists

The range of opportunities stemming from corporate demand is huge, and of great benefit to contemporary artists – especially in Italy where it is so difficult for outstanding artists, such as Gianpietro Carlesso, and many others, to achieve the recognition they merit.

As a matter of fact, from 2009, Kathleen Warner will be in Italy to work her craft here and around Europe.  Italyisin hopes to be collaborating with her, and will be supplying details of the Italian contemporary artists she thinks may be able to contribute to her clients’ projects.

In the 30 years or so that Kathleen has been in business, she has set up a valid form of alternative gallery network, something which Italian contemporary artists have much to gain from.

——————————

Discover more about Kathleen Warner’s origins and ethos in the article Faletto Directions which she has kindly provided to Italyisin.

Should you wish to have a taste of what you can expect to see, you should visit the Fotografia Italiana site here.

The dates, location, and times of the Carmelo Nicosia exhibition are below:

When the exhibition is on:

• Today until Saturday 19 July 2008.

Opening Hours:

• From Tuesday to Friday, 3 pm to 7 pm.

The Venue:

• Fotografia Italiana arte contemporanea, Corso Venezia, 22 – 20121 Milan, Italy – Telephone: +39 02 784100

Admission:

• Free.

Italy has no shortage of photographers exploring this medium to create contemporary art. Indeed, there is an association dedicated to the promotion of the work of Italian photographers. This Milan based association, the simply named Fotografia Italiana – Italian Photography, was founded quite recently by art collector, Nicoletta Rusconi.

The aims of Fotografia Italiana are clear – its prime objective is to encourage Italian photographers to undertake artistic research.

For those interested in photography as a contemporary art medium, the Fotografia Italiana website is well worth visiting, and there is an extensive section in English.

Not to be missed is the ‘Artists’ section which contains a long list of photographic artists, some of whom, such as Alessandro Vicario , have their own websites where examples of their works may be explored.

In addition to profiling photographic artists , Fotografia Italiana also has a mine of information on current and forthcoming exhibitions.

You may start your voyage into the world of contemporary Italian photographic art here: Fotografia Italiana

Pistoia born Italian sculptor, to whom I spoke today, Luigi Galligani, produces art based on, in the words of the artist himself, ‘Mediterranean myths’. You may agree that his work could be said to be refreshingly original and modern interpretations of figures having their origins in Roman and Greek antiquity.

Working mainly in terracotta and bronze, Galligani’s work is both intriguing and thought provoking. Indeed, his mythically inspired themes have understandably attracted the attention of various galleries around the world.

Born in 1957, Galligani trained at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence and Carrara. He currently works from his studio which is located in Castellina in Chianti, near Siena.

This artist’s work has also achieved critical acclaim, and he has been hailed as:

"…one of the latest generation of “masters” of Italian sculpture" – Francesco Gurrieri Art Diary Critic, 2003

Here is a selection of Galligani’s pieces:

[View with PicLens]

Should you wish to see more examples of Galligani’s work, then they can be viewed in various locations both around Europe and in North America. The list below provides the locations and dates of exhibitions displaying this artist’s work:

• Rarity Gallery Mykonos Greece (April – October 2008)
• Interart Sculpture Garden Heeswijk – Dinther Holland (May – October 2008)
• Sculpture Exhibition Chateau Neercanne (Gallery bell’Arte ) Maastricht – Holland (May – September 2008)
• Personal Exhibition Gallery bell’arte Maastricht – Holland (November 2008)
• "The Odissey Within" Agora Gallery, New York (December 2008)

More details, and examples of Galligani’s work and information about the artist himself, including contact details, can be found on his personal website: Luigi Galligani

With thanks to Mr Galligani, firstly for having taken the time to speak to me, and for having very kindly given his permission, orally, for Italy is in to display some examples of his work.

Having adopted the theme of ‘hyper-realism’, Racheli’s recent works feature ‘fleshless’ sculptures. His subjects, though, are not objects which normally have flesh. Indeed, he portrays a more mundane but quite diverse rage of objects, such as washbasins and motorbikes.

The fruits of his recent endeavours are eye catching, if somewhat disturbing, pieces.

Examples of this artist’s unique creations are on display at the Galleria Enrico Astuni in Pietrasanta.

Italy is in has not yet acquired permission to display Rachelli’s works, but examples can be seen here .

One of Racheli’s most startling pieces is what must be one of the most original interpretations of a motorbike ever seen. It is recommended that viewers use the ‘view image’ function, usually found by right clicking on a mouse, because the photo initially visible is somewhat distorted.

Actually, Italy is in’s Alex Roe, who was covering the MiArt 2008 Contemporary and Modern Art Exhibition in Milan for another on-line publication, first spotted Racheli’s work at this event. He found it enthralling.

The distinctive originality of this artist means that his work begs to be followed, and who knows in which direction his creativity will take him.

Racheli now lives and works in Parma, Italy.

With their seemingly bright bold colours, Fiore’s works combine geometric designs with the gentle curves and forms of the principle elements of trees. From branches and twigs, to trunks and entire woodlands. Yet, despite the use, at times, of a variety of powerful colours by the artist, the resulting images are both striking, and, at the same time, encourage the viewer to hesitate and contemplate each element of the work. Indeed, it is almost as if the artist is provoking reflection on the part of the viewer.

On show will be a selection generously sized images which have been inspired by sections from Paolo Puppa’s play “L’albero di Giuda” – ‘Judah’s tree’. Puppa (profile in Italian) is a professor of theatre history at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

The Musée Arts et Histoire , can be found at 103 rue Carnot , Bormes Les Mimosas, on the Cote D’Azure, France. If you happen to find yourself in the area at the time, then this exhibition of Fiore’s work presents a great opportunity to view and get to know this artist’ at first hand.

Visit Gaetano Fiore’s personal website , which is available in German and Italian, to see more of his work.

An Example of the work of Gaetano Fiore

Gaetano Fiore’s distinctive minimalist style which involves combining abstract and natural forms facilitates the creation of images which are striking in both their simplicity and their employment of a mix of geometric and fluid shapes. His images are also characterised by the use of what at first glance appear to be striking combinations of dominant colours.

In actual fact, however, although the colours and shades of colour he uses are indeed bold, the combinations employed always manage to compliment each other, resulting in visually appetising imagery.

Fiore’s talents were first recognised in 1986 by the Neapolitan art critic Luigi Eboli.  Soon after Fiore held his first exhibition at the Galleria Salammbo in Paris.

Thanks in great part to the efforts and encouragement of his mother-in-law, U. Reiger, Fiore’s work has been widely exhibited in Germany.  As a result of these exhibitions, Fiore has been brought into contact with a number of well known German artists and galleries.

A visit paid by Fiore to Salvatore Emblema’s museum-atelier in 1997 was to have a radical and lasting impact on the creative direction taken by Fiore’s future work.

Interestingly enough, Fiore has also works as a scenographer for a number of theatres around Italy. Indeed, he has worked with the Globe in Rome, and the Nuovo Theatre in Salerno. Additionally, Fiore’s scenographic work also caught the eye of noted Italian actor, theatre director, writer and musician, Tato Russo – who is the artistic director of the Bellini Theatre in Naples.

Another curiosity is that Fiore is considered something of an expert on Afro-American music. Actually, one also wonders whether Fiore’s imagery has been influenced by traditional African art.

His interest in Afro-American music has brought him into contact with Carlos Ward and Bill Dixon , with whom he often shares and exchanges both musical and pictorial musings.

When not painting, Fiore can be found at the Zenale and Butinone Institute in Bergamo, Italy, where he works as teacher of graphic advertising design.

Gaetano Fiore was born in 1960 near Naples, in Italy, and studied at Naples’ Academy of Fine Arts.  You can find a little more information in English about Naple’s Academy of Fine Arts here: Around Naples Encyclopaedia

Fiore has two children, and lives in Bergamo.

Gaetano Fiore has a personal website, in Italian and German, where more of his work can be viewed:

Gaetano Fiore

Some more examples of Fiore’s work is visible below.

Just click on a picture to see a larger version.

[View with PicLens]