Gioele Amaro: Gods and Losers
Galerie Forsblom 18.8.–10.9.2023
Now making his Finnish debut, Gioele Amaro defines himself as a digital painter who works with pixels instead of a paintbrush. His art pushes the boundaries of painting by striking up a dialogue between traditional media and new technologies. Amaro’s canvas-printed digital compositions stretch the definition of what is traditionally conceived as a painting. His art emanates from the virtual world, entering reality as physical objects that challenge the very notion of what a painting is supposed to be.
Reflections play a key role in Amaro’s paintings. The artist explores the various meanings of reflections both on a cerebral and material level. He describes paintings as altars for prayer – not the traditional devotional variety, but the modern-day secular worship of such things as physical beauty, aesthetics, and fashion. Amaro’s paintings are also influenced by the spirituality of Mark Rothko’s (1930-1970) art. Beyond the intermingling of the real and the virtual, the interesting thing about Amaro’s art is its citational complexity and his use of forms and allusions that connect his oeuvre with the continuum of art history.
Originally trained as an architect, Amaro takes a special interest in materials and surfaces. His paintings mimic the shiny, reflective surfaces of various metals, such as copper, aluminum, stainless steel, or iron foil. Despite their apparent simplicity, his compositions consist of meticulously polished details.
Gioele Amaro (b. 1986) is an Italian artist who studied at La Villette in Paris and at the University of Art and Architecture Mediterranea in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Amaro has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe and China. In 2023, he lashed collaboration with the fashion brand Valentino. The artist is based in Paris and Milan.