Pesce Khete and Michele Tocca in Dialogue at Fondazione Coppola, Vicenza

Fondazione Coppola in Vicenza presents a double solo exhibition featuring Italian painters Pesce Khete (born 1980, Rome) and Michele Tocca (born 1983, Subiaco), curated by Elena Volpato and Davide Ferri. The show, titled "HM, HE, HA," takes its name from a lecture by Julian Barnes referencing exclamations of wonder, reflection, and surprise—phrases that Edgar Degas believed were all that made sense before a painting. The exhibition occupies the Torrione di Porta Castello, a historic tower restored by entrepreneur and collector Antonio Coppola, who acquired and donated it to the city of Vicenza in 2019. Visitors ascend via elevator and then climb five levels of mezzanines, where the architectural structure fragments the viewing experience. Khete's vibrant, filamentous color fields and Tocca's dense, quiet landscapes alternate and interact with the space. As viewers ascend, the paintings become lighter and more airy, culminating on the top floor with Khete's "Siliconi" series—pictorial squiggles representing adhesive residues from torn signs—and Tocca's "Giacche" series, which open onto views of the city. The curators describe a progression from a claustrophobic, earthy atmosphere to an expansive, open one. A second double exhibition will follow in autumn 2024, pairing Luca Bertolo (born 1968, Milan) and Manuele Cerutti (born 1976, Turin).