Cesare Pietroiusti's 'Materia Paterna' at Gallery Apart in Rome

Cesare Pietroiusti, a Roman artist with a degree in psychiatry from 1979, presents his second solo show at Gallery Apart in Rome, titled 'Materia Paterna.' The exhibition continues themes from his 2022 show 'Valori' at the same gallery, both centered on his father. The title 'Materia' evokes 'mater' (mother), linking to universal femininity. Pietroiusti revisits his family home in via Novara, which he emptied and sold after 'Valori.' In the new show, he displays envelopes from auction houses with prices of stamps his father collected, highlighting both his father's passion and the monetary value of the collection. A small photo at the entrance shows Pietroiusti as a child playing chess with his father Guido, who is turned away from the camera. The artist found numerous photographs of maternal bellies in the family home, which he exhibits on the walls; these images, taken by his father who was a gynecologist, resemble planets and reference Gustave Courbet's 'L'Origine du monde.' Pietroiusti uses covers of scientific publications owned by his father to create collages blending conceptual and abstract-geometric styles. A sculpture of ascending steel uterine dilators on an operating table addresses abortion, a theme that evokes debates from when the practice was stigmatized. The exhibition explores the intersection of art and medicine, reflecting Pietroiusti's choice to become an artist instead of a doctor, and his ongoing analysis of self and family.