Exhibition "Fantasies on the theme of paper. Three artists from Italy"

The exhibition "Fantasies on the topic of paper", organized by the Italian Institute of Culture in Moscow and the Italian Embassy in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Arts, is able to instantly transfer the viewer to the territory of the imagination, thanks to the various uses of this material - the protagonist of the complex installations of three Italian artists with their own creative approach and experience, but working with the same matter.

The works of Flaminia Mantegazza and Luciana Pretta Fiore, presented at the exhibition, give rise to two complementary stories: the spectacular Clouds movement that unfolds above us, free and independent of the constraining boundaries and rhythms so characteristic of our everyday life, and a different, more intimate approach, reflected in familiar details, different from each other, but like "Windows of the soul", equally similar to a light gesture, opening a box of paints from where you can draw moods and paint.

Anna Onesti is inspired by the theme that returns us to the order and circulation of things in nature - to the "Seeds" that underlie any life process. The space offered by the artist is dissected by flying kites, while on the walls, similar to multi-colored standards, are frozen in the vertical and horizontal projection of the murals, which have absorbed a deep study of Eastern practices.

Paper, possessing a special lightness, is capable of embarking on thousands of adventures, as, incidentally, the word itself, printed on its surface, which, when pronounced, turns into a sound, idea, thought, dream.

Authors biographies:

Flaminia Mantegazza studied in Rio de Janeiro, where she graduated from the Faculty of Economics and History, and in Rome, where she moved in the late 1980s. In Italy, her passion for art rekindled, once shown at the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts in Rio. In promoting international tourism, Flaminia has developed highly sophisticated urban projects and ecological installations, one of which is on the permanent display of the MUST Museum in Faenza. The artist has taken part in prestigious exhibitions in Italy and abroad, in London and Istanbul.

Anna Onesti was educated in Rome and Turin. She then continued her studies in Japan, India and Indonesia, with a particular focus on the ancient methods of dyeing and restoring paper, as well as the symbolic meanings inherent in kite flying in Eastern cultures. Her arsenal includes numerous exhibitions in Italy and abroad, as well as activities in the field of cultural heritage, frequent cooperation with international organizations dealing with the protection of cultural heritage sites.

Luciana Pretta Fiore (née Luciana dos Santos) received her education in the Brazilian city of El Salvador, where she graduated from the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Bahia, and then continued her studies in Italy - at the Academies of Fine Arts in Rome and Bologna.

Personal travel experience has strengthened her desire to use diverse materials in her work, such as photography and ceramics, and more recently paper in combination with painting. In 2017, the artist creates a deliberately unfinished work, which can rather be defined as work in progress, called Reminiscences - Places of Memory, which uses small cardboard boxes, literally painted with feelings and emotions from childhood, which establishes a kind, endlessly intertwining connection between present and past.

Also engaged in social and educational fields, Fiore is involved in landmark international projects such as the cooperation between the German city of Dachau and the city of Fondi in the Italian region of Lazio, thus building a cultural bridge between different worldviews.

Curator: Giovanna dalla Chiesa.