Sam Falls on Rain Paintings and Minimalism at Galleria Civica di Trento

Sam Falls's first Italian institutional solo show, 'Nature is the New Minimalism,' opens at Galleria Civica di Trento on March 17, 2018. The exhibition features his Rain Paintings, created by placing plants, branches, or leaves on canvas with dry pigment and letting rain or humidity leave traces. For the Trento works, Falls collected giant algae during night dives in the Pacific Ocean off Los Angeles, using moisture to imprint the algae's shapes. He draws a parallel between Minimalism's focus on the viewer's experience and his own erasure of the authorial hand, letting nature create the image. The show also includes ceramics embedded with leaves and flowers. Falls cites Odilon Redon's aesthetic as an influence, aiming for works that are visually accessible yet dreamlike. The exhibition is curated by Margherita de Pilati and runs through June 26, 2018.