Ignacio de Lucca - Natura Phenomena
May 5 – June 17, 2016
OSME Gallery is proud to announce Ignacio de Lucca and his first solo show in Austria!
“At some point, it was a decision not to represent humans in my paintings,” explains de Lucca, from his Buenos Aires studio, perched above a bustling avenue. “I wanted the human element to be the eyes, the one who looks, the observer, the one who depicts and is out of the scene.” The artist has been observing nature since his youth, surrounded by the thriving landscape of Misiones, an Argentine province located on the border of Brazil and Paraguay. There, he spent his days between his mother’s atelier (she was an artist, too) and the small town of Apóstoles, where nature seeped into its streets. “For almost a decade, my work has referred to the fauna and flora of this region,” explains de Lucca. “Although lately, there is a wider field of references to what we can call ‘natural phenomenon,’ with a level of abstraction that interacts with the tradition of art history.
The exhibition will feature a selection of paintings on paper and canvas. Please join us for the opening reception on Thursday May 5 at 6.30pm.
Opening reception: May 4, 6.30pm
Exhibiton dates: May 5 - June 17, 2016
Location: OSME Gallery, Lerchenfelder Strasse 25, 1070 Vienna
Please RSVP by email (click here) or phone if you wish to make a viewing appointment.
Interview with Ignacio de Lucca:
Q: When did you first begin painting?
de Lucca: I started painting as a child in my mother's atelier, She was an artist and professor in a fine art school , There I got passionate about color and materials.
Q: Can you tell me about your studio? What is the view out of your window?
de Lucca: My studio is in the heart of the city of Buenos Aires, in a centenary building with high ceilings and plenty of light. Through the windows you can see a crowded avenue and the side of a neo-baroque church. Far from my coloured landscapes where there is no reference to this urban scene.
Q: The title of your show, “Natura Phenomena”, alludes to an intimate connection with nature. Have you always surrounded yourself by nature, and have you always depicted it in your work?
de Lucca: I was born in Apóstoles, Misiones, state located at NE of Argentina, surrounded by big rivers and subtropical wheather, on the border with Brazil and Paraguay. As a child I lived in a small town where streets and day-to-day life were in direct contact with nature. For almost a decade my work has referred to the fauna and flora of this region. Although lately, there is a wider field of references to what we can call “natural phenomenon” with a level of abstraction that interacts with the tradition of art history.
Q: Living in Buenos Aires, do you feel disconnected from the natural world you depict in your works?
de Lucca: Perhaps nowadays, in the solitude of my studio, I reach a deeper connection with the world I depict my works in. The urban noise is present but it stays out of the creating process. Every other month, I travel to Misiones where I have a house and an atelier. There I nurture and renew the vision and connexion with that environment.
Q: Do your paintings depict realities or dreams; the landscape of your native Argentina, or lost paradises?
de Lucca: I believe that in my paintings there is an encounter with idyllic paradises of childhood experiences. More than a reference to dreams, there is an impulse and a gesture that emerges in present time from these feelings. Beyond the memory and remembrance of those landscapes, it is the emotion that motivates me as a source of inspiration.
Q: How do you choose which specific plants, animals, etc. will populate each canvas? Do you see certain plants having relationships or resonance with particular animals?
de Lucca: At first, the reference to the flora and fauna of Misiones was more direct and portrayed the animals and plants of my region of origin. However, in my last watercolor series the image of nature has taken a more abstract form and it refers to an idea of open biomorphosis. I am also interested in the way artists such as Paul Gauguin and Hokusai represent arcadia and I cite them in my work.
Q: You never depict humans in your work—why?
de Lucca: Even though there are subtle appearances of human figures, at some point it was a decision not to represent them in my paintings. I wanted the human element to be the eyes, the one who looks, the observer, the one who depicts and is out of the scene.
