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As a curator who
is passionate about contemporary art
in particular, I firmly believe that
the emotional and intuitive
component of an artwork - as well as
the approach to it - has an
extraordinary power and that it is
always the main element in the
artistic panorama where imagination
plays a vital role. Indeed, it is
the very spring into which artists
dip in order to pursue an absorbing
journey on which images and
imaginations appear; and these,
stirred by dreams, fantasies and
hazy memories but also by a
perception of the dimension of
reality, come to be transferred on
to the canvas through the creative
impulse. Bringing
together a group of artists all
drawn by the alluring charm of the
imagination, this exhibition,
“Imaginary Journeys”, aims to show
that contemporary art, on the purely
painterly, artistic and emotional
front, can still display
extraordinarily expressive vigour
and provide a magical, irresistible
attraction, despite the more widely
acclaimed and publicised pitch
nowadays to become ever more
conceptual and impersonal; genuine
and sincere artists such as those
who are exhibiting here demonstrate
this. Indeed, we find individuals
who, feeling the irresistible urge
to “daub” the canvas and pour on to
it their emotions, feelings and
moods experienced intensely in a
moment of particular excitement or
perhaps in a tide flowing constantly
within their soul, invite us to an
aesthetic, emotional approach
towards works in which their
personalities, both artistic and
human, are at stake: their dreams
and their memory.
The exhibition presents for public
view a group of innovative and, in
my view, courageous artists who love
to dream and to create in total
freedom of thought, and who, in true
fulfilment of the theme of
“Imaginary Journeys”, reveal their
strength, their imagination and
their talent, developed to varying
degrees of nuance and expression.
The result is a multi-coloured,
harmonious course where it is
impossible not to feel the moving
sensations generated by purity and
by the energy which springs from the
chromatic vibrations, the power of
the artistic stroke, from the formal
compositions and the variety of
textures.
On viewing the series of works on
show - paintings, sculptures,
photographs and digital media - we
are intoxicated by the vibrant
colours and joyful freedom, and by
lyrical and evocative landscape
scenes which accompany us as we walk
through the charming Sale
dell’Imbarcadero of the Castello
Estense. Through their personal
language of expression, the artists
bring to life the magical interplay
of forces which exist and operate
within the artworks, overcoming the
physical boundaries and at the same
time involving space, images,
colours and impulses.
Recently, I have organised and
staged each year, at the Castello
Estense, an international exhibition
that is always full of surprises
which are exciting for the rich
quality of the artworks; I am
delighted that this exhibition has
become an important event each
autumn where artists, critics and
the public have the pleasure of
meeting one another and sharing not
only their passion for art but also
the historical and cultural grandeur
of a fascinating city such as
Ferrara.
Once again Ferrara can be proud to
host a high quality international
art exhibition that doubtless takes
each one of us on a hugely engaging
emotional journey. |
