The show « Illusion and Reality » is the first exhibition of Elia Sabato (Lecce, Italy, 1975) in Barcelona. All the periods of his work are brought together to ask the spectator two questions: What is real in here? And what is the reality in it? Mirrors which show parallel worlds; abstract sculptural objects (three-dimensional) that, under direct light, project absolutely figurative (and flat) shapes hidden within the abstraction; flowers carried by well-armed soldier figurines.
These works are representative of the artist’s desire to reveal, throughout the exhibition, the eternal dualities: Light/Darkness, True vision/Optical effects, War/Peace, Two-dimensionality/Volume. In Elia Sabato’s pieces, many artistic currents and movements are blended to form a distinctive personal style. One might think primarily of Op-Art, moving through Surrealism with its oneiric vision. Looking at his mirror-based works, comparisons with Michelangelo Pistoletto come to mind, yet the level of elaboration required in each of Sabato’s mirrors compels us to leave Arte Povera behind and move to the opposite pole: Pop Art.
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