WORKSHOPS
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Castello925 is going to be the theater of many stimulating appointments ensued from to the current exhibitions hosted in the galleries. These events are connected to the K-Now-L-Edge project, conceived and carried out by the founder of Castello 925, Luca Caldironi. Artists will discuss their works to stimulate reflections on different themes and take a moment to look inward together with Luca and the guests invited to the gallery for the occasion.
“In general, we may remark, that the minds of men are mirrors to one another, not only because they reflect each other emotions, but also because those rays of passions, sentiments and opinions may be often reverberated, and may decay away by insensible degrees.”
Martin Weinstein - Vedute e Palinsesti
Castello925 hosted Martin Weinstein’s speech to visitors and guests of the gallery, who came to enjoy his first solo exhibition in Venice. Together with Luca Caldironi, the participants had the unique opportunity to discuss in a group the feelings, states of mind, thoughts and sensations that the contact with the artworks stimulated. The focus group touched upon different topics, involving nostalgia, sensitiveness and perceptions, the awareness of their being illusionary. We could reflect on the city of Venice, its future and on the passing of time. Indeed, time itself is what Weinstein’s painting aim at overstepping, as by combining layers painted in different moments, Weinstein hopes “to ignore standard expectations about a layered presentation of space and time” (artist statement, 2022). In this occasion, Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities” was a milestone source of inspiration for our talk.
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Antonio Pauciulo - Artificial Creatures
During the workshop Artificial Creatures, dedicated to Antonio Pauciulo's, the artist introduced his paintings, which are closely related to the philosophy of Heinz Kohut and the perception of the self, with particular references to pathological narcissism. “Pauciulo’s new series of H-paintings reveal an iconography of the void, intended as beauty. The core of human identity is spread in a multitude of objects, substituting the former unity of the subject. Pauciulo sees such transformation as an opportunity for conceiving a new existential meaning.” An initial introduction by the artist opened a comparison between the thoughts of Sigmund Freud and that of Kohut. The concept of void, crucial in Pauciulo's work, is closely related to pathological narcissism and the condition of the individual in contemporary times. The estrangement from family, religious and social institutions that occurred in conjunction with the change in communicative structures was central. From this topic it followed a reflection on the psychological situation of individuals belonging to the younger generation. Spike Jonze's film Her was an indispensable cinematic reference to introduce a reflection on interpersonal relationships and how they are gradually being replaced by human-object relationships. An unfailing final toast closed the event to which the participation of the guests was warm and constructive.
Kaethe Kauffman - Yoga: Interiore Eterno
Before the opening of Kaethe Kaufmann's exhibition Yoga: Interiore Eterno, Castello925 had the pleasure of connecting with her work through an interview with the artist herself, mediated by Luca Caldironi. Several themes were discussed about both the works on display and Kaethe Kauffman's thinking: first of all, the body, an instrument that the artist uses directly in her artistic process. Next, the theme of yoga, central both in her life and in the exhibit; then the theme of the trace, seen as imprint and presence, especially concerning the female figure, and, lastly, they spoke about the connection between art and women. To investigate the relationship between art and sexuality, Luca Caldironi took up a quote from Oscar Wilde: "everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power," which led the artist to discuss the themes of the male gaze, power and especially the topic of the beauty, which for Kaethe is manifested in the most authentic expression of the self. After this exchange, the audience intervened, delving mainly into the particular technique used by Kaethe, which would be printed on silk, and some thoughts on the concept of femininity and sexuality.
