Turi Simeti Black and White in Dialog
22 September 2022
Turi Simeti · Bipolar – Black and White in Dialog
We are not in the mood for looking on the dark side of things. On the one hand, this has to do with our optimistic view of things. On the other hand, we are also committed to dialectics. This does not lead to black-and-white thinking. But to black-and-white seeing. Namely in the latest exhibition of Galerie Dr. Dorothea van der Koelen in the Cadoro – Centre for Art and Science in Mainz. From October 22nd 2022 we will open the doors for the new show under the title Bipolar – Black and White in Dialogue for all friends of art.
On display will be works carefully curated by Dr Dorothea van der Koelen from the bulging magazines of our exhibition house and over 40 years of gallery history. A colourful bouquet of artists will be represented. The only condition: Works in black and white. In our newsletters, we would like to introduce you to one artist from this illustrious line-up in more detail, week by week. This week we present: Turi Simeti.
The Sicilian Turi Simeti is one of the best-known representatives of the Italian Zero movement from the circle around Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni. He was one of those select talents whom Fontana – who had already broken new ground in the 1950s with his expansive 'Concetti spaziali' (Spatial Concepts) and helped the picture into the third dimension – presented in his studio in 1965 as the "Zero Avant-garde". These artists turned away from traditional painting as well as conventional materials and conquered space and light with their art.
Already at the beginning of the 1960s, Simeti discovered the form of the oval, which had become characteristic for him. From the first ordered relief paintings – initially in geometric sequence – the basic module of the oval soon took on a life of its own in the space above the canvas-covered frame. His monochrome works show minimalist and clear forms. At the centre of his works, which are reduced to the most minimalist, is a movement of light directed by the change in the surface of the picture. The picture becomes a relief and enters into a relationship with the space. The pictures are always monochrome. It is about the effect of the surfaces in space.
This play of light and shadow on the surface, which can take on very different forms depending on the intensity and angle of incidence of the light, develops a poetic effect and touches the viewer in a special way. The expansive works enter into an intensive relationship with the viewer. There are no distractions, no drama. In intense calm and contemplation, the works enter into dialogue with the viewer.
