ARTWORK SEVENTEEN
“… an Embrace between two people expresses more than 1000 words…”
(Cesare Catania)
Year: 2015
Measurements: 50cm x 70cm
Technique
Original ArtWork 2015: Wax crayon on paper
Numbered Edition Print: fine art print on paper
Two people hugging each other express love and affection together. On the left Catania represents a statuesque and confident figure; on the right a sincere and passionate one. Firmness on the one hand and dedication on the other are perfectly represented by the mutual positions of the bodies and hands. One stretches its neck, the other welcomes it and protects it.
This dedication to the theme of Hugging was also recognized in 2023 by the American Association of National Hugging Day; January 21st of every year since 1986 has been universally recognized as World Hug Day and in 2023 Cesare Catania was appointed the only official ambassador in the world for the current year of International Hug Day.
A story that starts in 2015 and that from year to year finds its natural place in art and society. An artistic and socio-cultural project that brings people together thanks to contemporary art.
The work of art entitled “The Embrace” is the first of a series that will give life not only to a personal artistic journey of the artist linked to the specific theme but also to a high profile socio-cultural artistic project. This project and starting from this first work will be combined with contemporary art exhibitions over the years, in particular:
in 2016 at the Swiss Institute of Lugano during the International Week of Italian Culture and Language, an event supported by the Embassies of the Swiss Confederation, the Presidency of the Italian Republic, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Consulate, the theme of the Embrace was addressed by exposing the the work of the same name (this time the B Version)
in 2018 one of Cesare Catania’s Embraces was exhibited in Montecarlo at Meridien Hub Gallery
in 2019 the Villa Reale Museum in Monza hosts a retrospective of Cesare Catania, exhibition in which, among others, one of Cesare Catania’s “Embrace” is also exhibited
In 2022 the Metaverse opens its doors to the Embrace for the first time, exhibiting among the artist’s many works, also two versions of the Embrace. The exhibition in Cesare Catania’s personal gallery within the Spatial Metaverse, which can be visitable online from any device.
On November 17, 2022 the Embrace Project is officially presented at the Pirelli Palace of the Lombardy Region,on the occasion of which it was possible to admire one of Cesare Catania’s embraces
in March and April 2023, during one of the stages of the Embrace Project Exhibited at the Poetry Museum of Piacenza, among the 20 exhibited artworks by Cesare Catania, 5 different Embraces by Cesare Catania are exhibited
Different expressive ways of expressing the same concept. A hug is the body language that shows attachment, affection, feeling of union.
Art Exhibitions
The exhibition “The Embrace” represents a unique event because in addition to offering the painting of the “Embrace” (A and B Version) for viewing, it offers the public the opportunity to observe two new versions of the Embrace live (C and the D Version) belonging from an executive point of view to the most recent works created by the Artist, always in silicone and acrylic.
Specifically, the Embrace Project has a dual connotation, both artistic and socio-cultural. Furthermore, the evident social impact of the Project itself is undeniable, aiming straight at the values of inclusiveness and sharing, setting as its main objective that of speaking to people all over the world through a universal language, Art, and inviting every human being to emerge from one’s individuality to open up to others in a real and at the same time symbolic embrace.
The Project was born from the Artist’s desire to highlight the urgency and importance of a rapprochement between people, from every point of view and above all following the social detachment imposed in recent years by factors external to the will of the individual.
The traveling exhibition includes several stages.
The Project was officially presented on November 17, 2022 in Milan at the Sala Belvedere of the Pirelli Palace of the Lombardy Region.
The exhibition at the Museum of Poetry in Piacenza represents one of the stages of an exhibition that will visit various cities in Italy and around the world.
There are various stages of the L’Abbraccio exhibition, including the Poetry Museum in Piacenza, the Palazzo Donà dalle Rose in Venice and the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan.
In 2024 the sculpture L’ombra F Version, together with the Phygital version of the same, was presented at the Venice Biennale.
Contemporary art
The main work on display, “L’Abbraccio” (B Version), is a tapestry approximately 3 meters high created with a spatula by Cesare Catania in 2016 (oil on canvas technique, 255 x 175cm). The canvas, clearly cubist-informal, represents in the strict sense a man and a woman embracing each other and in a broader sense the embrace between two people of different colours. The desire to communicate the overcoming of racism and discrimination in general is clear.
The same tapestry was exhibited on 13 October 2016 at the Swiss Institute of Lugano during the International Week of Italian Culture and Language, an event supported by the Embassies of the Swiss Confederation, the Presidency of the Italian Republic, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Consulate.
In 2019 the Tapestry was hosted at the Museum of the Villa Reale in Monza.
The same inspiration is studied and created by the Italian artist also in a sculptural key, with an F Version in rusty and polished steel. A monumental sculpture first and then a reduced series of 1 meter in height, express all the attachment to this artistic path of Cesare Catania.
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