Exhibition "Fantasies on the theme of paper. Three artists from Italy" Automatic translate

Curated by Giovanna Dalla Chiesa

The exhibition "Fantasies on the topic of paper", organized by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Institute of Culture in Moscow in conjunction with the Russian Academy of Arts, presents the works of three Italian artists working with paper in completely different techniques and resorting to completely different types of its use. Each of them is distinguished by a unique creative approach and rich experience in working with this matter. All the works presented at the exhibition are able to instantly transfer the viewer to the territory of the imagination, a kind of real unreal world proposed by Flaminia Mantegazza, Luciana Fiore and Anna Onesti, as well as the curator of the project, Giovanna dalla Chiesa.

The works of Flaminia Mantegazza and Luciana Pretta Fiore , presented at the exhibition, are two complementary stories: the spectacular movement of the "Clouds" unfolding above us, free and independent of the boundaries and rhythms that constantly hold us down, and a more intimate sense of life, reflected in familiar details, but which, like “Windows of the Soul”, like a light gesture, are able to open a box of paints and draw moods from there and - to paint.

Anna Onesti is inspired by a theme that refers to the order and circulation of things in nature, namely to the "Seeds" that underlie any life process. The space offered by the artist is literally dissected by flying kites, which at the same time look like multi-colored, outlandishly painted standards that have absorbed a deep study of Eastern practices.

Paper, possessing a special lightness, is capable of embarking on thousands of adventures, as well as a word printed on its surface, which, when pronounced, turns into a sound, an idea, a thought, a dream.

Authors biographies:

Flaminia Mantegazza studied in Rio de Janeiro, where she graduated from the Faculty of Economics and History, and in Rome, where she moved in the late 1980s. In Italy, her passion for art rekindled once again at the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts in Rio. As part of her duty to promote international tourism, Flaminia has developed particularly sophisticated urban projects and ecological installations, one of which is on the permanent display of the MUST Museum in Faenza. The artist has taken part in prestigious exhibitions in Italy and abroad, in London and Istanbul.

Anna Onesti was educated in Rome and Turin. She then went on to study in Japan, India and Indonesia, where her special purpose was to study ancient methods of dyeing and restoring paper, as well as researching the symbolic meanings inherent in kite flying in Eastern cultures. Her arsenal includes numerous exhibitions in Italy and abroad, as well as activities in the field of cultural heritage, frequent cooperation with international organizations dealing with the protection of cultural heritage sites.

Luciana Pretta Fiore (née Luciana dos Santos) received her education in the Brazilian city of El Salvador, where she graduated from the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Baia, and then continued her studies in Italy - at the Academies of Fine Arts in Rome and Bologna. Personal travel experience has strengthened her desire to use diverse materials in her work, such as photography and ceramics, and more recently, paper in combination with painting. In 2017, the artist creates a deliberately unfinished work, which can rather be defined as work in progress, called Reminiscences - Places of Memory, which uses small cardboard boxes painted in the footsteps of childhood memories, which establishes a peculiar and endlessly interwoven connection between the present and past.

Also engaged in social and educational fields, Fiore is involved in landmark international projects such as the cooperation between the German city of Dachau and the city of Fondi in the Italian region of Lazio, thus building a cultural bridge between different worldviews.