Whitestone Gallery Hong Kong is pleased to present In the Matter of Color III. As a continuation of well-received Italian contemporary artists group exhibitions in Taiwan, we are delighted to present Italian artistry in Hong Kong once again.

Centered on the theme of color variability, this exhibition brings together four prominent figures in Italian contemporary art: Turi Simeti, Alberto Biasi, Pino Pinelli, and Natale Addamiano. These artists were active during the tumultuous time of the Italian post-war period in the 20th century, yet they made audacious moves to meet new boundaries as new artistic movements emerged. Encompassing works spanning from the 1960s to recent years, this exhibition invites viewers to probe the lesser-known aspect of Italian art.

Born in 1929 in Alcamo, Sicily, Turi Simeti is considered as a pioneering force in the Italian art scene, championing a distinctive minimalist aesthetic that provokes audiences. Settled in Rome in 1958 where Simeti began his artistic career, his early works inherited Alberto Burri, a leading figure of Arte Povera (the 'Poor Art' movement) and lauded for his use of diverse materials. Simeti befriended Burri while finding ingenuity in his own creation. Simeti's composition are distinguished by nuanced expressions of oval shapes that dance across the monochromatic surfaces of canvases – black, white, grey, yellow and occasionally, a vibrant red. His work startlingly highlights the notion of minimalism and materiality, emphasizing the physical presence of the artwork itself rather than an expression of the artist's voice. In 1965, Simeti participated in the exhibition Zero Avantgarde at Lucio Fontana Studio in Milan, a testament to Simeti's dedication of the oval motif. Over the subsequent years, Turi Simeti played an active role in The Zero Group, originated in Germany and can be defined as a reduction, rudimentary presence of artistic form. Simeti is considered a progenitor of 20th and 21st Century Italian art. Simeti's works have been showcased at renowned institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Further, his works are part of the museum collection in various locations. Turi Simeti passed away in 2021 in Milan, Italy.

3 Ovali Rossi, 1960, mixed media, 80.0 × 120.0 × 8.0 cm

Born in 1937 in Padua, Alberto Biasi is a representative of Kinetic Art, Programmed Art and Op Art. Praised for its elaborate precision and symmetry, he delineates the phenomenon of optical distortion, creating astounding works by PVC strips and painted designs. At the age of 22, Biasi co-founded art collective Gruppo N (Gruppo Enne) with other contemporary artists, positioning himself as one of the earliest pioneers in the realm of kinetic illusion. His first and one of the most recognized bodies of work, Trama, created in 1959, are works of layered perforated papers, cotton gauzes and metal wireslight, when exposed to light and motion, evoke a constellation-like effect that bewilder viewers' sensation. Biasi's work always encapsulates a collaborative ethos as he once said, "I am a kind musical instrument manufacturer, the viewer is the musician, and the artwork is co-created by the artist and viewer.” This exhibition features numerous optical-dynamic works Biasi created during his formative years, including the 1960s Trama to recent works resembling Ottico-dinamici (Optical-dynamic object). Biasi has partaken in many international exhibitions. Including the Venice Biennale in 1964 and 1986, the Quadriennale of Rome in 1972, 1986, and 2004, as well as the São Paulo Biennale in 1971. His works could be found in collections of MoMA in New York, the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Trottole 1, 2000, Mixed media, 50.0 × 50.0 × 5.5 cm

Pino Pinelli was born in Catina in 1938 and passed away this April. Pinelli was inspired by forerunners of The Zero Group. From the very beginning, Pinelli's intention was to eliminate symbolic tropes in traditional painting, with an exploration in dimensionality from the confines of flat surfaces. This period of his copious research resulted in a newfound way to interpret monochromy, which propelled him to the forefront of the ‘Pittura Analitica (Analytical Painting)’ movement, characterized by an extreme reductiveness, and with 'Pittura' signifying craftsmanship, these works also focus on the materiality in an analytical fashion. Pinelli has participated in many crucial exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale in 1986 and 1997, the Quadriennale of Rome in 1986 and 2006. Additionally, his works have been exhibited in the Musée d’Art Moderne Paris and the National Gallery Rome, among others.

Pittura G, 2005, Mixed media, 40.0 × 60.0 × 6.0 cm

Natale Addamiano was born in Bitetto (Bari) in 1943 and currently lives and works in Milan. He graduated from the Brera Academy in Milan in 1972. For the next three decades, Addamiano taught painting at the Brera Art Academy, all the while having ample opportunities to experiment lithography, engraving and etching. From 1977 onwards, Addamiano has been passionately devoted to 'en plein air' (outdoor painting), as he returned to nature, creating works outdoors constitutes his oeuvre with a sense of strength and profundity. Addamaino garnered widespread acclaim with his Starry Skies series, which he began to create in 2000. This series made its first appearance at Milan’s Dep Art Gallery in 2021, revealing deep, atmospheric paintings redolent of the poetic Romantic Era. Through his masterful grasp of chromatic variability, Addamiano expressed his enthusiasm in making an implicitly gleeful approach in traditional painting. Addamiano has participated in many significant exhibitions and received numerous awards, including the Triennale dell’Incisione at Milan’s Palazzo della Permanente in 1991 and the Biennale di Milano in 1994. To date, he has held many significant solo and group exhibitions, and his works are widely collected by international institutions and private collectors.

Luogo di stelle, 2022, Oil on canvas, 40.0 × 80.0 × 2.0 cm