Acappella presents “Occhio Furbetto” (“Sly Eye”), a group show that explores the relationship between contemporary artists and historical tradition, highlighting how the latter is not a static weight, but a living archive from which to draw new meanings. Curated by Leonardo Devito, the exhibition brings together Roberto Caruso, Michele Cesaratto, David Farcas, Andrei Pokrovskii and Paolo Pretolani, united by a reflection on the past and the ways in which this legacy can be translated into contemporary visual language. The exhibition is structured as an investigation into the relationship with artistic tradition, seen not as a mere repetition of the past, but as a dynamic process of appropriation and transformation, in which memory is mixed with new modes of expression. Despite the common thread, the works reveal profoundly different approaches.
“Occhio Furbetto”, exhibition view (Michele Cesaratto, Paolo Pretolani, Roberto Caruso), Galleria ACAPPELLA, 2024, courtesy the artists and Galleria ACAPPELLA, ph © Danilo Donzelli Photo-graphy
Roberto Caruso – born in Abruzzo in 1982 – for example, works at the intersection of personal and collective memory, translating pictorial references from the 20th century into compositions that recall an intimacy suspended between realism and abstraction. His paintings, such as “Agnese non dorme”, display an attention to formal detail that uses the past as a tool to investigate new stylistic solutions. Michele Cesaratto – born in Friuli in 1998 – on the contrary, relies on rigorous technical research based on ancient painting traditions such as egg tempera. His works evoke the spirituality and delicacy of Sienese and Pompeian painting, but incorporate a contemporary irony that destabilises the sacred aura of his compositions. The dialogue between natural elements and historical memory makes his paintings objects of contemplation, but also of disorientation.
“Occhio Furbetto”, exhibition view (Andrei Pokrovskii, David Farcas), Galleria ACAPPELLA, 2024, courtesy the artists and Galleria ACAPPELLA, ph © Danilo Donzelli Photography
David Farcas – Romanian painter born in 1990 – and Andrei Pokrovskii – Russian painter born in 1996 – move on more introspective registers. Farcas deals with an imagery that passes through Cézanne and Casorati, but his works, such as “Panther” or “Self-portrait”, seem to be charged with an emotional tension that betrays a personal and dramatic introspection. Pokrovskii, on the other hand, blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, creating suspended images that recall the atmosphere of Russian icons and Gothic predellas. His work is distinguished by a narrative quality that suggests stories that are never told, leaving the viewer with the task of reconstructing them. Finally, Paolo Pretolani – Umbrian painter born in 1991 – positions himself on the borderline between painting and matter, playing with perceptual ambiguity. His works, such as “Black Forest Gold”, transform traditional materials and techniques into visual experiences that challenge immediate comprehension, leading the viewer to question the relationship between reality and representation.
“Occhio Furbetto”, exhibition view (Paolo Pretolani, Andrei Pokrovskii), Galleria ACAPPELLA, 2024, courtesy the artists and Galleria ACAPPELLA, ph © Danilo Donzelli Photography
The exhibition, structured through paintings, installations and hybrid works, is inspired by the concept of ‘constellation’ theorised by Aby Warburg in his “Mnemosyne Atlas”. Here, tradition becomes a movement of passage, a ‘traditio’ that allows inheritance and renewal, transforming what has been into something new and autonomous. This approach underlines the fragility and tension of a complex relationship: how much can one still innovate by looking back to the past? What is the limit between quotation and rhetoric? It does not offer definitive answers, but builds a dialogue between different artistic languages and cultural contexts, united by an intelligent use of traditions. In this process, visual memory is never static, but evolves continuously, triggering crises and new balances. “Occhio Furbetto” is not just an exhibition, but a reflection on the role of contemporary art as an archive of connections and fractures.
Info:
OCCHIO FURBETTO: Roberto Caruso, Michele Cesaratto, David Farcas, Andrei Pokrovskii, Paolo Pretolani
curated by Leonardo Devito
21/11 2024 – 15/01 2025
Galleria ACAPPELLA
Vico S. M. A Cappella Vecchia 8/A, Napoli
www.museoapparente.eu
Art Curator and Art Advisor, graduated in Visual Arts and Cultural Mediation, with Master in Curatorial Practices, born in 1995, lives in Naples. He collaborates with Galleries and Independent Spaces, his research is mainly focused on Emerging Painting, with a careful and inclined gaze also on other forms of aesthetic language.
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