Vincenzo Schillaci on Monochrome, Abstraction, and His Berlin Debut
Italian painter Vincenzo Schillaci (born Palermo, 1984), who lives between Rome and Berlin, discusses his practice in an interview. He rejects the label of monochrome for his works, seeing them as explorations of the relationship between ideas and the picture frame. Schillaci describes his recent series of oil paintings as 'copies' of sky excerpts from German Romantic landscapes, rescaled and rendered in a dark palette to create psychological landscapes. His upcoming solo show at Galerie Rolando Anselmi in Berlin presents this new corpus. He references Matisse's notes as poetic instructions and Nietzsche's aphorism 125 from *The Gay Science* to frame his thinking. Schillaci has exhibited at GAM Palermo, Manifesta 12, and various Italian and Berlin venues.
Key facts
- Vincenzo Schillaci was born in Palermo in 1984.
- He lives and works in Rome and Berlin.
- His upcoming solo exhibition at Galerie Rolando Anselmi in Berlin features new oil paintings.
- The new series uses sky excerpts from German Romantic landscapes, rescaled and painted in dark tones.
- Schillaci considers his works not true monochromes but explorations of representation.
- He cites Matisse's notes and Nietzsche's 'God is dead' aphorism as influences.
- He has had solo shows at GAM Palermo, Operativa Arte Contemporanea in Rome, and Galerie Rolando Anselmi in Berlin.
- Group exhibitions include Manifesta 12 in Palermo and projects at Galerie Rolando Anselmi.
Entities
Artists
- Vincenzo Schillaci
- Thomas Kratz
- Henri Matisse
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Institutions
- GAM Galleria d’Arte Moderna
- Galerie Rolando Anselmi
- Operativa Arte Contemporanea
- Francesco Pantaleone Arte Contemporanea
- Galleria Giorgio Galotti
- Manifesta 12
- Triennale Milano
Locations
- Palermo
- Italy
- Rome
- Berlin
- Germany
- Capalbio
- Milan
- Atina
- Pisticci
- Turin