Nuvole: Alon Zakaim Fine Art
Alon Zakaim Fine Art is proud to present Nuvole, a showcase of twelve new paintings by established Italian artist Mauro Perucchetti and his inaugural exhibition with the gallery. The show will mark Perucchetti's homecoming exhibition after a 3-year hiatus from the Art world and celebrate his creative transition from sculptor to painter, as he brings his Pop aesthetic to the canvas for the first time.
Executed in vibrant pop colours and featuring an array of enigmatic symbols, Perucchetti's vast canvases are a celebration of a new-found freedom in abstraction (fig. 1). His paintings combine influences of Surrealism, Modernism and Abstract Expressionism, allowing Perucchetti to experiment with his own subconscious and create a process that is instinctive yet meticulously precise. The artistic impact of these movements becomes apparent through Perucchetti's spontaneous gestural brush strokes, which expose an automatist approach to painting. Meanwhile, his visually whimsical, ever-changing shapes stimulate the mind and lure the viewer into a state of subconscious contemplation. It is this subconscious contemplation that is intrinsic to Perucchetti's artistic practice. In his own words, 'the images I produce (…) and the reason why I produce them are buried in the deeper layers of my mind and pertain more to the subconscious than to a conscious thinking process' (fig. 2). The exhibition title Nuvole, 'Clouds' in Italian, holds nostalgic connotations of childhood cloud gazing where, similar to Perucchetti's psychedelic forms, shapes are imagined to be more than what they seem.
Much like clouds, these playful sinuous forms are complex yet spontaneous, speedy yet leisurely, freeflowing and ethereal. The viewer is continually immersed in a subject matter that is challenging and everchanging, yet visually harmonious (fig. 3). This sense of play is fundamental to Perucchetti's latest practice; free from the limitations of categorisation, the artist can explore his inner psyche enabling him to paint in an instinctive and original way.
To celebrate Perucchetti's artistic evolution, the exhibition will include two pigmented resin sculptures from his past oeuvre, The Power of Love and the iconic Jelly Baby Family (fig. 4). The juxtaposition between sculpture and painting, showcases Perucchetti's ability to reinvent himself with the elegance and ironic wit that has led to his enduring appeal.
Perucchetti's work has been exhibited worldwide and forms part of a number of important permanent collections including The Gateway Foundation and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in the USA, The Wellcome Collection and The David Roberts Art Foundation (DRAF) in the UK. He has exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London and notable pubic installations include Marble Arch, London and in front
of the Louvre, Paris.
