Enzo Cucchi’s symbolic language conquers New York

[Translated from Italian]

The artist from Marche returns to the Big Apple with two exhibitions: one at Vito Schnabel Gallery in Chelsea and another at Gavin Brown’s space in Harlem.

The first work by Enzo Cucchi that greets visitors as they enter the Vito Schnabel Gallery (Enzo Cucchi: Mostra Coagula, on view until May 22) is a large steel net, with a man on a boat painted on it, intent on painting despite the fact that his boat is sinking. The work consists of bold, minimal brushstrokes in blue, white, and black enamel, with much of the surface left empty. The essential brushwork and the sheer size of the net, compared to the figure, create a visual perception where, from a distance, the industrial metal object is noticed before the painting.

Continuing in the main room, we are surprised by a large number of small and medium-sized works, installed along the entire perimeter of the gallery. «It’s like a wave, a little agitated, a bit excited. Otherwise everything everything being the same would block your heart», says Cucchi. The intense colors fill the space with vibrant energy. The arrangements suggests a narrative, a continuity. Among the first works, we notice a painting of a skeleton holding a house, from which an undefined flow of forms spills out; nearby, there is a prehistoric animal in front of a dwelling, and right next to it, the face of Jesus. Cucchi’s symbolic language seems to draw from deep memories, intertwining references to his personal history with collective cultural, artistic and religious roots. They are dreamlike visions painted in a symbolic language. The symbolism is hidden, and the images do not fully reveal themselves to us.

The paintings are enriched with ceramic and wooden elements, applied in different ways: hung on the sides, glued to the surface or suspended with copper wires, creating projections of shadows. «All these works are born from the shadow. Things in the shadows are preserved». He adds: «It’s not usual for their language (of the Americans, ed). Here the surface is always very evident, you see what’s there». Recurrent motifs—prehistoric animals, dwellings, mountains and landscapes—return in ever different variations. Real slashes cut through some surfaces, increasing their thickness. The artist laments how many successful curators and critics today have written nothing and recalls the depth of authors such as Berenson, Ortega y Gasset, Alberto Arbasino.