DUO SHOW
2024

Vittorio Marella, Robert Bosisio
Dialogue with a Suspended Moment in Light
104 Galerie


14.12.24 –
08.02.25

104GALERIE (Nakameguro, Tokyo) is holding the group exhibition Dialogue with a Suspended Moment in Light from December 14th (Sat.) 2024.
This group exhibition is the inaugural event with Robert Bosisio, the representative artist of the gallery, taking the role of curator as well as participating artist. It features not only new works by Bosisio himself, but also pieces by the Romanian artist Teodora Axente, who has held three solo exhibitions at the gallery, and the Italian artist Vittorio Marella, with 11 works in total. It is an exhibtion that provides a window into a dialogue that emerged from the sincere friendship that has existed between these three artists over many years, along with the influences that all three have taken from the traditions of art in their respective countries.
For the opening of the exhibition, the gallery is holding a reception on December 13th (Fri.) at 18:00. Vittorio Marella is visting Japan from Italy and, along with the artist, we look forward to welcoming you to the gallery.

Introduction to Dialogue with a Suspended Moment in Light by participating artist and curator, Robert Bosisio:
Teodora Axente, Vittorio Marella, and I are inspired by the culture of our forefathers in the painting traditions of our respective countries.
Teodora is influenced by Byzantine culture, while Vittorio and I come from the Italian painting tradition, ranging from the early Renaissance and continuing through the works of Morandi, Carra, de Chirico, and Casorati, to name a few.
All three of us depict figures in our work, but we each approach this differently. Teodora creates intricate compositions by combining several distinctive figures and elements.

Comment from Teodora Axente:
“The frames created by me propose another world—a world of the unreal, of the dreamlike; a world that uses recognizable elements from immediate reality but is transposed into another dimension. The painting is a continuation of the dream, but also of the desire to transform and break the conventions of the real world.For me, painting is a state, an emotion, a language — an expression that comes from the inside and takes shape through color on the outside.”

In contrast, Vittorio depicts real-life figures, mostly scenes from nature and his birthplace, the Venice lagoon. He captures them with remarkable realism and a high-contrast play of light.

Comment from Vittorio Marella:
“Nature and our relationship with it are the main focus of my work. As our species evolves, our bond with nature weakens. This has tragic consequences, one of which is the ever-fading sense of self. With my canvases, I hope to create a space for reflection—an opportunity to breathe. My images are clear but mysterious, as the characters’ features are always hidden, and the thick texture of my works is inspired by natural elements typical of my environment, such as sand, wood, and rocks.”

While Vittorio’s paintings portray specific characters, I take a different path by obscuring my figures. I’m less interested in depicting individual identities than in exploring the essence of Being and its aura. My interiors are deserted, but I still want to create the feeling that you are entering an inhabited space. In my latest interiors, I was particularly inspired by metaphysical painting.

Though we express our visions in different manners and maintain deep connections to our roots, the creation of atmosphere through the language of painting unites us in a bond across borders.