Gabriele La Torre's 'I secondi soldati' at EDICOLA480, Naples

Gabriele La Torre, a Palermo-born painter born in 2003, presents 'I secondi soldati' at EDICOLA480 in Naples as part of the 480 Site Specific program under the artistic direction of Massimiliano Bastardo. The oil on canvas (100x85 cm, 2026) depicts plastic toy soldiers on a saturated orange background that lacks perspective, creating an unstable visual field. The figures are blurred, with drips and smears suggesting vulnerability, and are arranged in non-hierarchical, repetitive poses that never form a coherent narrative. Color distinctions between green and beige groups avoid explicit conflict, instead functioning as variations within repetition. The title 'I secondi soldati' implies a temporal and hierarchical shift, focusing on secondary figures. The work is exhibited directly in the urban space of Via San Pasquale a Chiaia 61, from April 24 to June 8, 2026. La Torre's painting avoids spectacle and narrative, instead constructing a perceptual condition where memory, repetition, and dislocation intersect.