Flaming Pop: Dicò

SimonBart Gallery of Porto Cervo inaugurates a new exhibition space in the city centre of Salerno, via Roma 46.

 

The space, a neutral white container, is thought as an urban point of research and study of contemporary arts, with the mission of giving them a place where they could meet spectators and urban fabric. To perfect its research, the gallery intends to examine in depth the dialogue between the different stakeholders of local art, also counting on its strong presence in an international market as the one of Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, and in very prestigious collections.

 

Intending to develop the concept and the purposes of Porto Cervo’s exhibition space, SimonBart’s new location in Salerno aims at curating exhibitions of internationally renowned artists, not forgetting, anyway, to pay attention to new generations of national and international talents in the contemporary artistic scene.

 

After the success of summer season’s events, the exhibitions Blend – Accardi | Constantine and Narayana – Rabarama, taken place in the galley of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, SimonBart Gallery inaugurates its new exhibition space in Salerno with a solo exhibition of Enrico Di Nicolantonio, alias Dicò.

 

The Roman artist, one of the most interesting in the current Italian Pop Art, inherits topics and schemes of British and American pop language’s tradition. Like the Italian artists of Piazza del Popolo, active in the sixties, Dicò does not assimilate palely the American pop model, but interprets it with a very original language, also often elaborating new artistic techniques.

 

His works, painted on panel, are made with a mix of resins, stratifications of different industrial materials, combustions and corrosions. The portraits, characterized by intense expression, are fascinating and touching at the same time. But the main element of Dicò’s artistic language is plasticity, due to the power of fire to mould the plastic in the shape of unrepeatable sculptures. Dicò’s flames replace the traditional painter’s brush and thanks to the artist’s knowledge, they mold and punch the plexiglas sheet which surrounds paintings’ surface. Finally, the use of neons increases his paintings’ communication power.

 

“Miracle of the burning” is an expression used by critics to describe Dicò’s creative process and it is absolutely suitable to catch the meaning of his artwork, which attracts spectator’s attention and curiosity.