Siegfried Contemporary is proud to present Loop, Cecilia De Nisco’s first solo exhibition in UK.
“Who knows from where De Nisco’s images arise: perhaps in the artist’s memory, in that of her female and male friends, in the Cloud that unites people and devices. Stories ranging from the passionate to the absurd that might be recounted for hours, but the memory of which is dispersed,” writes Valentina Bartalesi about De Nisco’s previous depictions of obscenities performed just barely hidden in public, suburban contexts. “It is a language that camouflages irrevent contents, weaving together a calling that is simultaneously documentary and voyeuristic."
In these six new paintings, De Nisco draws the viewer into domestic, private settings that evoke both familiarity and unease. Light, a central element in the artist's language, is used not just to illuminate, but to create a sense of ambiguity that challenges the viewer's perceptions. It shapes the narrative, blurring the lines between comfort and discomfort, wonder and fear.
In We’ll ask for rest on the big blue bed, two figures seem to be engaged in a moment of contemplation or perhaps something more unsettling. The warm glow of soft, diffused light emphasizes the uncertainty of their actions. This ambiguity is further explored in You looked at me, astonished, where a group of figures is gathered around a glowing orb, their expressions hovering between curiosity and apprehension, as if caught in a moment of revelation or discovery that is both magical and eerie.
These scenes are both intimate and distant, the interplay of bodies and light creating a tension that is both palpable and elusive. De Nisco leads us on an inner journey, where every gaze raises questions and every shadow reveals new meanings. We are invited to explore the delicate boundary between the visible and the invisible, between presence and absence - and to confront what arises when these boundaries blur. The exhibition offers a powerful reflection on the complexities of human interaction and the emotions that surface when light reveals what lies beneath the surface, asking us to linger in the moments of uncertainty and to find meaning in the unresolved.
Quoting Valentina Bartalesi: “It is up to the viewers, their reluctant voyeurs or lovers, to recompose the backstory, through the titles, crucial in De Nisco’s work, and which, while preserving all the clues, break up the volatile painting. And it is once again a formal factor that intensifies the impression of actively participating in the life of her images.”
Reference: Far sighted, indeed very far sighted painting. Cecilia De Nisco by Valentina Bartalesi, in: Flash Art 362, Autumn 2023, 25.10.2023.
Cecilia De Nisco (b. 1997, Parma) lives and works in Vienna. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Art and a Master's Degree in Visual Arts from the University of Arts in Urbino, Italy. She is represented by VIN VIN Vienna / Naples.