El Gato Chimney

DE RERUM NATURA

March 5th - April 30 2015

opening reception March 7th 2015 6 - 9 pm

An illutstrated catalog will be available with essays by

Martin Wittfooth, Pamela Grossman and Michela D'Acquisto

(PDF available here)

El Gato Chimney "Inside The Circle" 2014, 100 x 71cm Watercolor on cotton paper

"In De Rerum Natura the medium between the terrestrial and the celestial is depicted as a bird, an animal that goes between both planes of reality at will. Upon the backs of many of these birds is a community of houses, perhaps signifying the unsteadiness of life and how one’s shelter can abruptly change, or that one can take their sense of shelter wherever they go. Home is where the heart is, as it is said. But one will notice that this sense of security is challenged by the presence of fire. Fire is a significant alchemical symbol, generally represented as one’s will. Fire is also representative of transformation, as fire turns form, representing the terrestrial, into smoke, the celestial."

Decadence Darling, Beautiful Bizare 2015

 

"One of the most compelling aspects of Chimney’s symbol-filled imagery is the apparent moral ambiguity. The creatures inhabiting the vast, melancholic landscapes are unclear in their intentions, with their strange, chimerical bodies appearing both gentle and wicked. Many of them are preparing for abstract duals with one another, the reasons for which remain unknown. "

Haley Evan, Beautiful Decay Magazine 2015

 

"Following the steps of famous storytellers, El Gato Chimney uses animals, made-up or real, often hiding behind masks and always wearing ceremonial clothes from European folklore and Oceanic tribes cultures, to depict the vices and the virtues of the world around him. The universe he portrays is dual and deceptive, like a good horror story. The animals are drawn in vivid colors, but the details on them, the colourful clothes and masks that adorn these mysterious characters,  act as a kind of warning, making them look likeable and scary at the same time. A magical and religious syncretism is what livens up the inhabitants of these lands, a well-turned mixture of cultures and eras, as the artist wants to assert that celebrating life and escaping death is what joins all beings."

Neda K WIDEWALLS Magazine 2015
 

 

some press:
 

a

a

Surreal painted scenes by El Gato Chimney

Inline image 7

a

 

a

每日插画分享#NO.493#每日设计分享每日艺术分享每日

灵感分享每日美图分享插画 图形设计创意艺术灵感作者：El Gato Chimney

Inline image 7

bbb

El Gato Chimney’s De Rerum Natura at Stephen Romano Gallery

Inline image 7

a

米兰艺术家El Gato Chimney的超现实主义绘画

Inline image 7

 

 

El Gato Chimney "Secret Pacts" 2014, 100 x 71cm, Watercolor and pencil on cotton paper

 

Stephen Romano Gallery is proud to present DE RERUM NATURA, Italian artist EL GATO CHIMNEY's first one person exhibition in the United States.

El Gato Chimney was born in 1981 in Milan, where he lives and works.

He started his career as a self-taught artist, developing an early interest in graffiti that made him pursue a successful journey into street art, as evidenced by his presence in leading publications on the subject.

As the years went by, thanks to the acquisition of new knowledge and the need to continuously improve his technical skills, the artist began to prefer to work in his studio, dedicating his time to an introspective research to depict immaterial things, such as emotions and inner visions.

 

 

El Gato Chimney "Speak The Truth" 2014 50 x 71 cm Watercolor and pencil on cotton paper

 

 

Currently, El Gato Chimney's studies range over a wide variety of subjects, such as alchemy, ancient and modern art, magic, mirabilia, occultism, popular folklore, primitive art and spiritualism.

He has shown in many international art fairs, galleries and museums, including the Museo Della Permanente, Milan; the Milan Triennale; Antonio Colombo Contemporary Art, Milan; MADRE Museum Of Contemporary Art, Naples; Stephen Romano Gallery, New York City; the Musei Capitolini-Centrale Montemartini, Rome.

His works are included in a number of international publications, such as Hi-Fructose; Huffington Post; Hunt & Gather: Discovering New Art, Mark Batty Publisher, 2010; Los Colores Del Underground, Astiberri, 2009.

 

El Gato Chimney "My Black Heart" 2014 100 x 71cm Watercolor and pencil on cotton paper

 

 

For his show at Stephen Romano Gallery, the artist proposes to further investigate the themes dear to him in a new body of works, including paintings, large-format watercolors on paper, and a site-specific installation.

Following the steps of famous storytellers, El Gato Chimney uses animals, made-up or real, often hiding behind masks and always wearing ceremonial clothes from primitive cultures, to depict the vices and the virtues of the world around him: a world constantly split between a daytime Arcadia and an unquiet night, where the dividing line between the two is clearly visible and easy to cross, both a danger signal and an invitation to disobedience.

 

 

El Gato Chimney "Rebirth" 2015 100 x 71cm watercolors on cotton paper

 

At a first glance one could overlook the details: figures hidden in the clouds, seemingly common objects abandoned forever or left waiting for something or someone, and, above all, symbols, a multitude of heterogeneous symbols whose decipheration reveals new meanings at every reading.

El Gato Chimney, instead of giving us a definite answer, fills his works with clues and appeals to our imagination and to our sensibility, keys of interpretation of the world.

Michela D'Acquisto, Milan, 2015.

 

aaaaaaa

aaaaaaaaa

 

For further information and visuals, please contact Stephen Romano at romanostephen@gmail.com or 6467094725.

 

About Stephen Romano Gallery

Stephen Romano Gallery is a new addition to the Brooklyn art gallery community, having opened its doors in April of 2014. Prior to opening the current gallery, Stephen Romano was a private art dealer for 15 years specializing in masters of self-taught and visionary artists such as Henry Darger, Martin Ramirez, Charles Dellschau, Bill Traylor, Darcilio Lima, and many others. The Gallery's most recent exhibition "Mysterium Cosmographicum" was well received and reviewed.

Stephen Romano has been a participant in many including PULSE and The Metro Show.

In 2013, Stephen Romano produced a seminal 330-page monograph on visionary artist CHARLES DELLSCHAU designed by Marquand Books and distributed by DAP. The book generated several positive reviews from a wide variety of publications such as Bookforum, Raw Vision Magazine, The Atlantic, Slate, Antiques and the arts and Design Observer among many others. With an introduction by Stephen Romano, the book features the final published essay by renowned art writer Thomas McEvilley, as well as contributions from the founder of The Museum of Everything, James Brett, and the curator of Smithsonian Museum of Aerospace, Thomas Croutch. In the same year, Romano also published the first ever post-mortem retrospective catalog of works by and most recently a catalogue of a previously unknown photographic series from 1925 by "A Pictorial Compendium of Witchcraft," with an introduction by A.D. Coleman. Most recently, Stephen Romano Gallery had the honor of publishing a catalog of works by artist Pavel Kraus with an essay by David Ebony, as well as a catalog for Chinese artist Lu Zhang with essay by Robert C. Morgan. The latest offerings are full color color catalogs of the TRYPOPHOBIA exhibition by Colin Christian with texts by Kris Kuksi, Allison C. Meier and Samuel D. Gliner. as well as El Gato Chimney with texts by Martin Wittfooth and Pamela Grossman

 

recent press .

ONE STOP INTO BROOKLYN

A train - HIGH STREET F train - YORK STREET 5 minute walk from either station.

Stephen Romano Gallery

111 Front Street Suite 208 & 202,

Brooklyn NY 11201

6467094725

romanostephen@gmail.com

www.romanoart.com

gallery hours wed - sat 12 - 6 or by appointment