Alessandro Pessoli, "Nudo Cartoccio" (2007). Gouache, spray paint on paper, 39" x 53". Courtesy Marc Foxx.
Experiencing the new work of Milan-based artist Alessandro Pessoli is a hallucinatory, otherworldly one. The artist’s first major solo show on the west coast consists of twelve large works on paper and one sculptural piece. The figures seem to be wandering, sifting and sorting their way through an undefined space of dreams that lingers for days afterward.
Pessoli rapidly brushes and stains with oil, gouache, acrylic and spray paint onto paper as thick as cardboard. A process of layering and revealing is achieved by cutting and collaging the paper. The sewn stitch is both used as a drawing tool, and as a means to attach the paper, resulting in an unexpected exploitation of materials. This is not fussy or belabored work. The effect of the mixed media, the drips, scribbles, sprayed paint and sewing comes off as vital, expressive energy. It is as if the artist physically tackles his subjects, hoping to capture the images before they escape him, sewing them down, grounding the ephemeral.
continue reading "Pessoli's Gypsy Bunker"
by ALEXA GERRITY on 8/15/2008