This is not Carla Viparelli’s first visit to the City of Angels, but it is a crucial one nonetheless.
Last year, the Neapolitan multimedia artist participated in a four-artist international exchange show at the Union Center for the Arts in Little Tokyo. With her previous experience still close in mind, she has now returned to continue her journey.
“It is another step,” Viparelli said of her latest stay in Los Angeles, “Nothing different, but it is an evolution of course.”
This month, a collaborative effort between ART1307, LLC and Sixty29 Contemporary Gallery will bring to L.A. a collection of Viparelli’s work, inspired by her previous visit to the city. In her first solo exhibition in the U.S., entitled Silicosophy, the artist will explore the multi-faceted connection between art and science.
ART1307 is a non-profit cultural association based in Naples, Italy. The institution is determined to promote a dialogue between artists internationally, with a focus on the visual arts – a goal it accomplishes through organizing artist exchanges all over the world, especially in L.A. ART1307 will host its latest show, Viparelli’s Silicosophy, at the Sixty29 Contemporary in Culver City from Sept. 12 through Sept. 28.
The exhibit gains its title, Silicosophy, from a combination of the terms Silicon and Philosophy, that also double as central themes for the collection. Viparelli uses Silicon as a foundation for the exhibition, highlighting the versatile role the element plays in a constantly transforming world. She presents works that combine natural instances of Silicon with more modern, technological developments of the element. Spectators of the exhibition will find these ideas spread across four different media within the single show: oil on canvas, sculpture, drawing and video animation. Videos will be displayed through the placement of three projectors throughout the space, each inspiring a unique mood. Two will project onto works hanging from the walls and one onto a bench at the center of the gallery, drawing viewers into the exhibit themselves.
“The first sight, the base of the painting is nature,” said Cynthia Penna, the art director at ART1307 and curator of Silicosophy. Yet, within the same work, subtle references to the technological world can be seen within the natural element. “Mankind transformed this Silicon into something that is extremely scientific and extremely modern, like the cellphone for instance. All the chips inside computers and cell phones are made with Silicon.”
During her visit to L.A. last year, Viparelli was impressed by a museum exhibition she saw during her first time at a university in California. The starting point for the idea behind Silicosophy was the Silicon Valley, but the artist did not fail to recognize the involvement of Southern California in the development of science as well. “This neighborhood between art and science is something very interesting, and I think that it is more present here than in Italy,” she said on her inspiration for the L.A. exhibit, “Here it is a reality.”
Having received a degree in Philosophy, Viparelli incorporated her studies intrinsically into the exhibition through exploring “aesthetic, philosophical and scientific features of silicon,” according to a press release.
The exhibition aims to demonstrate to viewers the way in which art, science and philosophy act as reflections of each other in our voyage into the future. It is a connection that has existed throughout time, from as far back as the days of the Ancient Greek philosophers. Silicon’s presence in both the natural and artificial realms makes it a prime center point for the project.
“What I liked about reflection on this matter, is just this: we have to accept everything in the same way. It is not a question of bad and good absolutely, but everything has its own reason of being,” the artist said.
“Beauty is the first bridge between art and people who look at art,” she said when asked about the message she hopes to inspire in visitors. Then the next layers can begin to unfold. “I think that art can open a discussion, but in its own language and its own way.”
Viparelli, who lives and works between Naples and Maratea in Southern Italy, has completed 40 solo exhibitions to date, and more than 60 exhibitions in total. Her work has been displayed in private galleries, foreign culture institutions and public institutions both in Italy as well as internationally. She has also directed several art workshops and won first prize in multiple art shows in addition to being invited as Artist of the Year to the Artist Book Festival in 2011.
But even with all her accomplishments, Viparelli remains humble and grateful for her success. In an interview, she was adamant to express her genuine thanks to those who made Silicosophy possible (including curators of the show, the Italian Cultural Institute and Carlo Marcucci, the owner of the Sixty29 Contemporary gallery space).
In addition to her solo art exhibition, Viparelli will hold a lecture at the Italian Cultural Center of Los Angeles on Sept. 22 from 6-9 p.m. The lecture will include a selection of the artist’s work, as well as a connected video.
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