Gianpietro Carlesso & Paolo Serra

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Ronchini Gallery is pleased to present a duo exhibition of new works by the Italian sculptor Gianpietro Carlesso and the Italian painter Paolo Serra. The exhibition explores the pure organic form, as well as texture, luminosity and unity of compositions that typifies the works of both artists.

Gianpietro Carlesso will present work in his preferred medium of marble. In recent years, Carlesso has worked closely with scientists and conducted research into the concept of infinity in an attempt to depict the abstract notion of forever in his most celebrated series, Curvatura. In the Curvatura works, Carlesso masterfully carves shapes out of a single piece of marble. The works are elegant and dramatic in their appearance, yet sleek and ethereal in their essence. This will be the first presentation of the artist’s work in London, and will also feature a previously unseen work from the artist’s Litoforo series, which follows the footsteps of the Curvatura series, as it presents a skilful attempt to create curvilinear cavities from a single block stone.

Left: Gianpietro Carlesso, Tutto muta, 2013, corten steel, 100 x 300 x 140 cm, courtesy the artist and Ronchini Gallery
Right: Gianpietro Carlesso, Curvatura diciannove, 2012, marmo grigio garnico, 78 x 140 x 60 cm, courtesy the artist and Ronchini Gallery
Paolo Serra will present a new body of work that he made during a recent residency in London. The works investigate an “essentialism” that aims to do away with any spurious accident that might upset the clear-cut geometric tension of forms and their super-smooth surfaces. The artist undertook an original new study of light, space and form and has led him to create works of pure linearism and fascinating chromaticism. The techniques he uses to obtain depth in his work are the product of use of ancient materials such as oriental lacquer with its hundreds of ultra-thin layers, and gold leaf with its precious luminosity.

These two abstract artists’ works are fused with depth of meaning and form. The intricacies and subtleties of Carlesso and Serra’s techniques and compositions create dramatic, harmonious works, which Ronchini Gallery is proud to bring together for the first time.

Left: Paolo Serra, Untitled, 2015, laquer on panel, 150 x 150 cm, courtesy the artist and Ronchini Gallery
Right: Paolo Serra, Untitled, 2015, gold leaf and lacquer on panel, 121.9 x 121.8 cm, courtesy the artist and Ronchini Gallery
About the Artists:

Gianpietro Carlesso was born in Bolzano, Italy in 1961, and lives and works in Cormons, Italy. He was educated at the Trento State Art Institute and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino.

Carlesso’s favourite medium has always been marble. In recent years, he has connected with scientists and conducted a number of studies on the concept of infinity and attempted to visualize it through his most celebrated series of Curvature. He was asked to represent the City of Milan in the 2008 Venice Biennial of Architecture with the monumental work Equilibrio dinamico della città in divenire.

Gianpietro Carlesso works are currently in important international public collections including: the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany; The Mannheim Kunsthalle, Mannheim, Germany; The Deutsche Bank Art Collection, Frankfurt; The Deutsche Post, Dortmund, Germany; The Museum of Modern Art in Bolzano, Italy; the City of Milan; and the City of Bolzano, Italy, as well as in various important private collections in Italy and abroad.

Paolo Serra was born in Morciano di Romagna, Italy in 1946, and he lives and works in Clemente, Italy. Serra’s first solo show was in 1962 at the Century Gallery in Northampton. Since then, he has had solo exhibitions in various European cities, including London and Amsterdam. In Paris he participated at the Salon Des Réalités Nouvelles, and in 1973, at the age of 27, he contributed a work entitled Light and Shade to the English Pavilion of the 12th São Paulo Biennial in Brazil. Serra’s works are included in prestigious public and private collections in Italy and abroad: the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; the Arts Council of Great Britain; the Nuffield Foundation, also in Great Britain; the Rembrandt Society in the Netherlands; the National Bank, Amro Bank and Westland Utrecht Bank in the Netherlands; Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Bologna; Museum der Stadt Waiblingen in Waiblingen; National Versicherungen in Basel; Bâloise, Basler Versicherungen, Basel; UBS AG, Basel; Banquiers Dreyfus & Cie, Paris - Basel.