Every day, in our perception of the world, we are called upon to adopt new cognitive strategies. Faced as we are with rapidly changing communication codes, we often feel inadequate and unable to understand reality and its boundaries with certainty. Languag is becoming more and more locus of conflict between freedo and its limitations.
A profound awareness of the conditions of our perception underlay Antonio Freiles’ recent solo show at the Cris Contini Contemporary Gallery in London, titled “Perceptive Architecture”.
The exhibition featured a series of paintings made by the Sicilian artist using oil and graphite . Here, the philosophical concept of space is represented through a process of architectural materialization, pursued using Cartesian geometry codes. At first sight, these pieces look like preparatory drawings and sketches for the design of three-dimensional elements.
However, you soon realize that their meaning goes well beyond that, alluding to a conceptual awareness that gradually erodes meaning itself, almost denying their symbolic value. The laws and knowledge expressed through these visual solutions cannot be reduced merely to the rules of architectural design, for their distinguishing trait is the artist’s choice: even when operating within a range of geometrical and mathematical possibilities, he finds the reasons for individuality in his personal motivation.
This corresponds to a sort of shattering of the image and its underlying philosophical theories and linguistic codes, their transformation into an idea of uncertain becoming, which is characteristic of our time.
Born in Messina in 1943, Antonio Freiles has exhibited at major biennials in Europe and boasts collaborations with prestigious cultural organizations, such as the British Council in London, the Ljubljana Graphic Biennial, the Maeght Foundation in Paris and the World Print Council in San Francisco. His paintings are part of important private and museum collections, including the Tate Britain Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
