Jonathan Vivacqua's Oil and Polystyrene Works at Contemporary Cluster in Rome

Jonathan Vivacqua (born 1986 in Erba) presents 'OIL VOID' at Contemporary Cluster in Rome, curated by Angelica Gatto. The exhibition features sculptures and wall works made from construction materials and fossil fuels, including waste motor oil, zinc and iron powders, oxides, steel profiles, and polystyrene. The series TURM OIL includes spiral-shaped steel assemblages and black totems that appear heavy but are lightweight polystyrene and resin modules. The STILLNESS cycle comprises dark paintings with sudden chromatic bursts, created by pouring used motor oil and metal powders. Vivacqua cites American minimalists Michael Heizer, Richard Serra, Frank Stella, Carl Andre, and Donald Judd as influences. He describes his use of polluting materials like oil and polystyrene as creating an apparent contrast with eco-friendliness, noting that the forms and colors reference the natural world. The exhibition also includes preparatory ultra-geometric drawings and concrete-and-iron-oxide paintings. Vivacqua's work is characterized as a sublimation of hyper-urban and post-vandalism art with an architectural eye, referencing Adolf Loos's rejection of ornament.