Massimo Stenta
Ephemeral brand
‘Ephermeral Brand’, a solo show by Massimo Stenta (Trieste 1991. Lives and works in Edinburgh - UK).
Massimo Stenta approaches painting on a physical level of osmotic transfer between the canvas and the paint itself. The intention is to study different methods of dyeing various types of fabric, trying to exploit the properties of the material used. Stenta paints on thin cotton, polyester and on the surface of spongy towels. In some cases, the semitransparent synthetic fiber’s lattice allows the light to seep through, revealing a texture that is similar to the pixels of a screen. In others, the paint is thicker and more plastic, showing some wrinkles and folds similar to scars. Self standing canvases hung with big shiny nails are juxtaposed alongside small towels with clumsy shapes so that they generate a physical tension. These fabrics modulate the color by letting it vibrate and by exploiting the sweet seduction of precariousness.
For the exhibition at Rizzuto Gallery, Massimo Stenta will present some new works that seek to reflect on how the current experience of art often happens online by sharing images on social media. Instagram, for instance, is a very useful platform that galleries, museums, art fairs and artists use everyday to enrich the web art scene. By following these profiles it is possible to be constantly updated on what happens in the art-world. In this way more art is experienced online, through a 5x9 cm smartphone screen, than by actually visiting a show. This attitude, of course, affects the way people experience and make art. Some of the works in the show are made of polyester fabric painted with acrylic. Stenta has printed onto them the name and design of popular art magazines. The artist is interested in exploring how a text or logo stamped onto a pictorial surface can radically change the reading of the painting, drawing comparisons to an advertising banner. The title of the show, ‘Ephemeral Brand’, comes indeed from this idea.
The project does not set out to critique the role these institutions play in the field of contemporary art; rather it aims at being a consideration of their social media presence. A publicity feed where their logos can be seen to function as seal of approval for the art shared online. Stenta, far from looking nostalgically backwards to what the art-world was before the internet, highlights that it is important to be aware that an image posted online, for the moment, cannot replace the act of visiting an exhibition.
140 x 89 cm
171 x 115 cm
178 x 116 cm
40,5 x 30,5 cm
144 x 108 cm
178 x 119 cm
37 x 29 cm
40,5 x 31 cm
120 x 80 cm | 135 x 80 cm
37 x 29 cm
