CESARE CATANIA
"THE EMBRACE"
Exhibition of Contemporary Art
... when Art envelops Words ...
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The Exhibition
Personal exhibition of Cesare Catania at the Poetry Museum in Piacenza, the first museum of poetry in Europe, born in 2014 and set in a historical context unique!
The frescoed vaults and the Renaissance flavor form the context for this personal exhibition which is part of the “Progetto dell’Abbraccio”, a project socio-cultural artistic wanted by the artist Cesare Catania and to which various bodies and institutions are adhering.
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And precisely because of his project, his initiative and the strong social message he carries with him, in 2023 Cesare Catania was appointed single world ambassador for the International Hug Day, a day that has fallen every January 21 since 1986.
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“When Art envelops Words”. This is the subtitle of a contemporary art exhibition which aims, among other things, at supporting poetry and literary culture at the same time. In fact, part of the proceeds will be donated to the Museum itself and to support the cultural activities linked to the prestigious venue.
An explosion of Fantasy!
The exhibition displays works of traditional art and digital works at the same time, focusing its attention on the famous painting of the Hug (2016 – Oil on canvas), a work that can be appreciated against the background of the enchanting museum from the very first steps of entering the exhibition.
In the main room there are around fifteen other works of art belonging to the contemporary artist who has perfected over the years a unique technique to best express his inspirations and own emotions: we are referring to the so-called “Catania Technique“, a processing of the material in which the artist skilfully mixes silicone, acrylic and mineral pigments to give life to a material that plasmata allows you to create paintings that literally come out of the canvas and sculptures that come out of space!
Going forward in the exhibition you can also view NFTs and digital artworks: the Metaverse has never been so close!
Criticism
“The embrace that we will host is a sort of coagulative process, the manifestation of which reveals all the artist’s sapiential desire for material. Siliconed, plastered, nailed, walled up and cracked presences. Paintings that are disguised as sculptures, and sculptures that teem with colours. The artist highlights a language in which there is no longer room for sweetened messages or, even less, characterized by ambivalence. This is demonstrated by the chromatic choices which are always quite bright, and even vibrant. A sort of colorful and highly dynamic puzzle that can be crossed in one breath, where, however, each work reveals itself precisely in proposing itself to the sensitivity of the user. Joy and sadness, boredom or shyness, are all emotions that make up the colorful manifestation of life. Where the embrace is the common thread that the artist suggests, as the only possible and reconciling goal.” (Massimo Silvotti, Director of the Poetry Museum of Piacenza)
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“In his works, Catania does not emulate organic appropriations in the pigment, but mixes the virtue of the line . It is not an art of lacerations, but one that deeply welcomes and offers the serenity and virile strength of which it has structured the inexhaustible register of human emotions. It is the art of those who also construct an idea of origin, work on it and then decide to stop and observe it from the “Anachronics” of the avant-garde, because everything is chronicle and anachronistic in relation to the origin. The conception of an unprecedented technique for the creation of works in silicone and acrylic; the sculptural conception of a space where there is no longer any distance; the creation of complex engineering works that bring the aesthetics of art into the very structure of the city’s architecture; the innovation in the creation of digital works of art lead Cesare Catania’s creativity to open his gaze to the contemporary vastness of what a Renaissance renovatio could mean in a world that is no longer just global, but a supersociety.” (Edoardo Callegari – Director of the Scientific Committee of the Museum of Poetry)
Some of the exhibited works
Discover the “Feelings and Emotions” collection!
Among the works of art on display in the first part of the exhibition of the Museum of Poetry in Piacenza we find some pieces belonging to the collection “Feelings and Emotions”. This collection highlights for the author all the main feelings and emotions that accompany the artist in the creative process and is composed of the following unique pieces.
The feelings touched by these works range from happiness, to passion, to shyness, from the presence of one’s own ego to its absence. Inside the 10 paintings we also find a diptych that pays homage to Harlequin, a comic and dramatic character at the same time and to whom the artist has dedicated several works during his career (we mention among others “The Harlequins” (A B e
C version), 2 paintings and a tapestry made between 2015 and 2016; “Harlequin in the Land of Giants” (A and B Version), oil painting on canvas and digital NFT made respectively in 2017 and 2022)
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Work of Art Number 73 – Black – “Incognito”
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The first real feeling that distinguishes the production of a work of art for Cesare Catania is the absence of any specific thought referring to it. The unknown (in absolute black) represents the uncertainty about what to express and from an emotional point of view it is identified with the restlessness of those who question themselves absently in front of a blank canvas or in front of a shapeless block of clay.
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Further details on the work “Nero – Incognito” below
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Work of Art Number 77 – Pink – “Shyness”
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The moment he approaches to execute his own work of art, despite his artistic background and despite the fact that the ideas are now clear on what to represent, the artist experiences a feeling of absolute smallness and shyness in front of the work not yet created. In this, shyness enhances the executive spontaneity and the artistic authenticity of the creative process.
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Further details on the work “Rosa – La Timidezza” below
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Work of Art Number 80 – “Presence”
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The first sculpture of the diptych in question represents presence. Physically and strictly speaking, the two rusty steel planes of the cube balanced on one of its corners seem to contain a shapeless mass of silicone and black and white acrylic, almost as if to confine the presence of the work to the place where is located and in its geographical and temporal uniqueness. In a broad sense, the meaning of this phase is very clear: the artist perceives his presence in that place exactly in front of the work he is creating and savors all its distinctive features. In practice, the artist tries to savor his presence in the place and time in which he finds himself in front of his almost complete work of art. This state of mind is fundamental for what will come immediately after: Absence.
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More details on the work “The Presence” below
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Work of Art number 83 – “The Harlequins (A Version)”
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Artwork belonging to the diptych of the same name which is part of the “Feelings and Emotions” collection and which pays homage to the character of the harlequin so dear to the author. Arlecchino is both a comic and dramatic character and represents mankind in the broadest sense for the author. For the author, we are all harlequins…
Already in the past the author has made several harlequins, both in traditional art and in digital art. We remember“ – 2015” , “The Harlequins ( B Version) – 2016” , “The Harlequins ( C Version) – 2016”, “Harlequin in the Land of Giants” (A Version) – 2017 , “Harlequin in the Land of Giants” (B Version) – NFT – 2022.
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More details on the works “The Harlequins (A and B Version)” below
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Work of Art number 86 – “The Heart of the Earth (F Version)”
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This sculpture belongs to the “Feelings and Emotions” collection and pays homage to a theme so dear to the author, the theme called “The Heart of the Earth”. The Earth is seen by the author full of energy and meanings ….
Already in the past the author has created several works with the same title and the same theme, both in traditional art and in digital art. We remember “The Heart of the Earth” ( A Version) – 2012 , “The Heart of the Earth” ( B e C Version) – 2018 , “The Heart of the Earth” ( D Version) – NFT – 2022.
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Read more about the sculpture “The Heart of the Earth (F Version)” below
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The “Hugs” by Cesare Catania
In the second part of the exhibition, the author develops the theme of the Embrace, a theme from which both the four homonymous works exhibited take their name, and the exhibition, in addition to the socio-cultural project underlying the exhibition itself.
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Artwork Number 17 – “The Embrace (A Version)”
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The first real graphic representation of this gesture, so simple but at the same time so full of meaning, takes place for Cesare Catania in 2015, when he draws version A of the Hug with wax crayon on paper. A numbered copy of the famous sketch is on display at the Poetry Museum in Piacenza.
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Further details on the work “The Embrace A Version” below
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Artwork Number 48 – “The Embrace B Version”
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The following year, the artist creates an extraordinary oil on canvas tapestry almost 3m x 2m in size, a contemporary work of art that will lead the artist to somehow consolidate his passion for informal art of Cubist matrix . This second version of the hug has been exhibited on several occasions.
Among these we recall, in 2016 a Lugano (Istituto Elvetico), where the tapestry was selected to represent the visual arts during the international week of the Italian language, an event of the highest caliber, supported by the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, the Italian Foreign Ministry, the Embassies of the Swiss Confederation and the Italian Consulate.
After being exhibited in 2018 at Montecarlo, the same oil on canvas tapestry was exhibited in 2019 at The Royal Museum of Monza, within a personal retrospective.
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Further information on the work “L’Abbraccio B Version” below
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.Above the image of the tapestry entitled “L’Abbraccio (B Version)” inside the Small Museum of Poetry in Piacenza
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Diptych Numbers 88 and 89 – “The Embrace (C e D Version)”
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In 2022 the author decides to return to the theme addressed in past years and to give birth to a new diptych by abstracting the main colors of the tapestry created in 2016 and to reproduce the two figures (the yellow one and the pink one) in a pair of works of three-dimensional art close to the last collection “Feelings and Emotions” as regards the technique used (“Tecnica Catania“) but which somehow envelops the artistic and inspirational background of almost a decade as far as pertains to emotional content.
In fact, the artist creates a diptych in which the colors of the Embrace B Version are re-melted between acrylics, silicone and mineral pigments. Two paintings that literally come out of the canvas!
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The Metaverse has never been so close…
In the third part of the exhibition, it is possible to approach a by now real but equally futuristic concept such as that of the Metaverse.
After having approached digital art in 2016 for educational purposes and to explain his own cubist works of art in a more complete way (see the explanatory video made to explain the titled cubist tapestry to its audience”Trois Hommes“), after having personally experienced the digital acquisition, 3D modeling and 3D printing of his sculptures in order to be able to reproduce their shapes and colors (see, for example, the reproductions of made in 2017 with 3D printing and completely repainted by hand by the author), in 2021 Cesare Catania created his first NFT collections. Recognized by critics as one of the most influential digital artists, he initially creates 5 NFT collections, collections exhibited in the Poetry Museum of Piacenza in a dedicated video room.
After minting his first NFTs, the artist opens his personal exhibition entitled “A Leap into the Universe“, creating his first virtual gallery with a high experiential and emotional content in the Spatial Metaverse.
Actually already in 2020 the artist had inaugurated a first digital version of his gallery in the exhibition “Retrospective 2020“, demonstrating not only that he knows how to mix traditional techniques such as oil on canvas and digital art technology, but also that he wants to be a complete artist, turning to the future with all the artistic baggage of the past.
Work of Art Number 71 – “Harlequin in the Land of the Giants (B Version)”
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Among the NFTs on display in the exhibition, we find the famous “Arlecchino nella Terra dei Giganti” (B Version), a digital and revisited version of the oil on canvas painting of the same name created by the artist in 2017 shown below.
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The first oil on canvas version of this painting made by Cesare Catania is from 2017 (A Version) and represents Harlequin (representing mankind) running in a predetermined chessboard invaded by Giants (representing Corporations and Multinationals).
On display at the Piacenza Museum is the digital Version B Version of the same painting, a short film of more than 2 minutes that expresses the same concepts as the traditional oil on canvas version but with strong futuristic connotations.
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Further details on the work “Harlequin in the Land of the Giants (B Version)” below
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BUY YOUR TICKET ONLINE
Why buy the entrance ticket online?
Buying your ticket online directly on our website gives you the opportunity to access the exhibition in priority mode, without queuing at the entrance.
Cesare Catania
Cesare Catania is an Italian artist. Painter, sculptor and digital artist, he began his successful career some time ago, fusing tradition and innovation in his art. His creative abilities and aesthetic taste enthusiastically embrace technology and development towards the future. In his works of art the boundaries between painting, sculpture and digital art blur, always maintaining his attachment to his contemporary art. After more than a decade of international success as a traditional artist, he has recently amazed critics for his ability to play the role of digital artist. Fascinated by modern art, architecture, cubism and the pictorial masters of the classical age, Cesare Catania’s artistic maturity is still evolving today; always looking for new techniques to best express his inspirations.
The evolution of the "Catania Technique"
The Artistic Background and the ability to mix Silicone and Acrylic
Already in past years Cesare Catania has created works of art by mixing silicone and acrylic.
The first ever of the works created with this unique technique is entitled 'The Eggs" (2012-14), a three-dimensional painting that studies the contrast between shapes and colors and which gives the artist the possibility to discover your passion for this kind of expression.
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Over the years the artist has created other works in silicone and acrylic. Among these we remember "The Spot" (A Version 2013 and B Version 2017),
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the collection of four sculptures entitled "The Mouth of Etna" (B C D E Version) made in 2017 and whose version E is studied by the author for those suffering from Dalton syndrome (color blind people).
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The “Cuttings”
We also recall the whole series entitled "Il Taglio", five three-dimensional paintings made between 2017 and 2019 and which represent the evolution of a single stroke on a canvas through the opening of contrasting colors. In particolare vogliamo ricordare:
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Artwork number 60 – “The Cutting”(2017)
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This three-dimensional artwork represents a black cut in a world charged with red turmoil. The cut artistically synthesizes a rapid and uncontrolled movement typical of the artist who creates a work of abstract art in front of his canvas. "Il Taglio" by Cesare Catania sums up concepts such as movement, abstraction, spatial absence, spontaneity and emotional charge. All in one sculpture framework.
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Further details on the work "Il Taglio" below
Work of Art number 63 – “The Cutting (B Version)” (2018)
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This three-dimensional work of art develops the concept of the cut already presented in the work of art number 60 entitled "The Cut". It represents cuts in a world charged with red turmoil. As in the previous version, here too the cut artistically synthesizes a rapid and uncontrolled movement typical of the artist who creates a work of abstract art in front of his canvas. "Il Taglio" by Cesare Catania sums up concepts such as movement, abstraction, spatial absence, spontaneity and emotional charge. All in one sculpture framework.
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More details on the work “Il Taglio (B Version)” below
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Work of Art number 64 – “The Open Cutting (C Version) - Confusion” (2018)
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This painting - sculpture of contemporary art elaborates the concept of the cut already presented in the works of art number 60 and 63 entitled "The Cut" A and B Version. It represents an open and confused cut in a world full of yellow agitation. Unlike previous versions, in this case the cut is not sharp but confused and undefined. Here too "Il Taglio" by Cesare Catania sums up concepts such as movement, abstraction, spatial absence, spontaneity and emotional charge. All in one sculpture to hang on the wall.
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Further details on the work “Il Taglio (C Version)” below
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Artworks Number 65 e 66 – “The Cuttings (D ed E Version)” (2019)
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These sculpture-paintings elaborate again the concept of the cut already presented in the works of art number 60 and 63 and 64 entitled "The Cut (A-B-C Version). These are two new versions of the Taglio and on this occasion they are covered by the artist entirely with Diamond Dust. Here too "Il Taglio" by Cesare Catania sums up concepts such as movement, abstraction, spatial absence, spontaneity and emotional charge. Further details on the works “Il Taglio (D and E Version)” below.
THE EMBRACE PROJECT
The Piacenza exhibition is part of the traveling project called “Progetto dell’Abbraccio”.
The “Embrace Project” is a socio-cultural artistic project that intends to promote art, culture, medicine and science in general with the aim of doing good in an ethical way, defending the weakest categories, against any type of discrimination and prejudice. The Project, conceived by the artist Cesare Catania, refers precisely to the title of one of his works, note such as “L’Abbraccio” (B Version – year 2016 – 255 x 175cm). Specifically it is a tapestry made in 2016 with a palette knife oil on canvas representing the embrace between two people, each of which is identified by a different color. The same contemporary artwork had already represented art during the week of Italian language at the Swiss Institute of Lugano in 2016, an event of the highest caliber supported by the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Italian, Embassies of the Swiss Confederation and the Italian Consulate .
AMBASSADOR 2023 FOR WORLD HUG DAY
Cesare Catania – appointed for 2023 as the only Ambassador in the world of the Day International of the Hug (celebrated on January 21 starting from 1986, the year of his creation) – is convinced that it is children who have been most affected by the pandemic suffering more from an inevitable and dutiful social distancing than, however, not it belongs to their expansive nature and prone to meeting each other.
THE PRESENTATION AT THE PALAZZO PIRELLI OF THE LOMBARDY REGION
These and other reflections led to the ultimate definition of the “Embrace Project” which is was presented for the first time in Milan on 17 November 2022 at Palazzo Pirelli, headquarters of the Regional Council of Lombardy, in collaboration with the municipal council of the same Lombardy Region.
For further details discover the video of the official presentation day, in which the absolute protagonists were the children!
THE EMBRACE PROJECT AND THE INSTITUTIONS
On 19 January 2023, on the occasion of a personal exhibition at the Galleria d’arte del Salotto in Milan, Cesare Catania has once again put the spotlight on his project but this time he has too officially presented some of the partners who have joined the initiative supporting it both in Italy both abroad. This is the case of the pediatric ward of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, directed by Doctor Luca Bernardo, and of the Italian Embassy in Angola, at whose helm we have been finding since 2020 Cristiano Gallo.
THE EMBRACE PROJECT FOR CULTURE AND POETRY
Starting from 25 March until 23 April 2023, the “L’Abbraccio” project and the homonymous exhibition will touch the historic city of Piacenza, where the Piccolo Museo della Poesia will host , in addition to one large series of works from Catania, including the famous original painting “L’Abbraccio”. Among the works in exhibition, in addition to the Hug, also a sculpture in silicone and acrylic entitled “La Bocca dell’Etna” (E Version – year 2017 – 100x100x20cm), the first contemporary work of art made for people with Dalton syndrome (see image below). The color palette has in fact been studied by the artist on the visual spectrum of people affected by this pathology. The sculpture in question is was officially presented for the first time in Montecarlo in 2017 within the exhibition entitled “Art for Everyone“, just to demonstrate how Maestro Cesare Catania intends art as an instrument of universal and democratic vehicle.
The initiative at the Piccolo Museo della Poesia therefore sets itself the main objective of convey a universal message of brotherhood and actively support culture literary: in fact, part of the entrance ticket will be donated to the Museum itself to support it economically in future ordinary activities.
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