The multifaceted artist OZMO, born Gionata Gesi, arrives for the first time at the Raffaelli Art Studio in Trento from 19 December 2023 to 11 March 2024, with a personal exhibition inspired by the iconographic myths of the Renaissance, in dialogue with the frescoed vault of the Raffaelli Studio.
The exhibition "AMALGAM - An alchemical journey" opens with a monumental installation in the main hall of the gallery, in which OZMO proposes a dreamlike vision of the mountain, which metaphorically represents the Athanor, the furnace at the heart of the transformation process. This pivotal image is made accessible by the inclusion of ephemeral and contemporary elements and ambiguously alludes to the alpine environment of the city of Trento. The installation is surrounded by large-format works, which stage the icons of alchemical knowledge and recreate the atmosphere of the Wunderkammern. The visitor is immersed in the esoteric suggestions and wonders of the mineral, animal and plant worlds. A pair of large masks with an Arcimboldesque flavour echoes the grotesque decoration of the vault. At the same time, two paintings interpret paragraph letters taken from sixteenth-century printed works, depicting the "O" and " Z", initials of the name of OZMO, alluding to the lettering of street art and ironically creating a two-letter password, as used in ancient secret societies (such as the j-b of Masonic memory).
The ambiguous symbols of alchemy crowd the walls celebrating the prodigy of transmutation, which becomes a metaphor for the circular dimension of time, the victory of life over death and the conflict between opposing principles. "Amalgam" presents a multifaceted alchemical vision, which becomes a metaphor for the fluid dimension of contemporary society. The ambiguous and inaccessible character of the alchemical mystery, which governs the material and spiritual transformation, is mixed in the style of OZMO, with the immediacy of the pop icons, which transport in the present time a series of images of Renaissance inspiration.
The artist mixes the sacredness of mystery and the uncertain and disoriented nature of the present time, where thirst for spirituality and scientific progress chase each other in an ancestral endless path. In addition to the series of site-specific works, the exhibition is completed by a rich selection of recent works inspired by the theme of revisiting the past in a contemporary key, set up in the gallery's rooms.
