Monaco Life met with Marcello Silvestre, one of three international artists involved in the new Harmony of Contrast collective exhibit organised by Espinasse31 Gallery, to learn more about the Italian sculptor’s emotive bronze effigies.
Launched during Monaco Art Week in early July, the Harmony of Contrast exhibition hosted at Le Méridien Beach Plaza and curated by Thomas Castiglioni, the director of Espinasse31, features the works of three very distinct artists.
From the urban works of US artist Adam Lucey to the abstract creations of Russian Olga Lomaka and Silvestre’s solid bronze sculptures, the exhibition has been designed to be an exploration of how differences in artistic approach can complement and enhance each other.
Speaking to Monaco Life, Castiglioni says, “The idea was to represent artists who have completely different styles and show that even if you can put a lot of things that are very different in the same place, they can still have harmony and make a story.”
The gallery has already worked with the Naples-based Silvestre on previous exhibitions in Milan and Madrid, and also featured the Italian’s works at an art fair in the Hamptons, but this is the first time that his pieces have been showcased in Monaco.
See more: Espinasse31 Gallery to showcase ‘Harmony of Contrast’ during Monaco Art Week
The sculptures selected for this show come from his ‘Man, Soul and Time’ series.
“These pieces talk about my personal story and my life,” explains Silvestre. “The story of my separation from my ex-wife, the worrying about the situation, the loss and the goodbye.”
His life-size works are predominantly cast in bronze, a medium chosen as representative of time and permanence, but visitors will also notice several smaller human abstract sculptures throughout the space, figures that seem to crawl up on the walls
“I made them abstract, without a face, so they are a mirror of us, so the visitor can talk with the sculpture and connect with it,” says Silvestre.
The artist, who has received accolades including the Targa d’Oro at Premio Arte 2018, adds, “I am honoured to exhibit in a beautiful place like Monaco and with a contemporary gallery like Espinasse31. I hope the people will enjoy my work and connect with them. What I always strive to achieve is for the guests to have a deeper connection with my work, not just a superficial one; that is my success.”
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