TABI IL VIAGGIO parte I | Tom Porta

TOM PORTA | TABI – THE JOURNEY (First part)

The skillful painting of TOM PORTA, characterized by quick brushstrokes combined with the precision typical of oriental art, will be the protagonist of a solo show at PUNTO SULL’ARTE, in its second gallery located in the historical center of the Varese, at Via San Martino della Battaglia 6.

The opening reception will be held on SATURDAY, MAY 20 from 3 to 6 pm.

The concept of “journey” – and the word TABI is that which expresses it in the most poetic way – encompasses all the elements of the new exhibited works. Porta always uses an aesthetic model to stimulate thought, in such a way that the viewers give their own meaning to the work. And so it is that Japan, the Japanese world and way, are appropriate tools for a reflection on time, beauty and our socio-cultural evolution.

 In Japan it is customary to use an expression, an image to represent a concept. This is what I have been developing for some years with my research, creating works that stop both time and the observer, and stimulate thinking on aesthetics that is not only historical but, above all, contemporary, in a world, our Western world, where the boundaries of beauty and sometimes of decency are now so blurred as to be imperceptible. Equally there is sensitivity, education, concepts and behaviours which also have such broad boundaries that we have lost our sense of care, courtesy and kindness. The Artist constantly tries to include all of this in every work. Not only in the final result, in the finished work, but along the way, in the individual brushstroke, in the encounter between the brushes and the canvas, the touching of the colours, their consistency and overlapping.

Opening reception MAY, SATURDAY 20 from 3 to 6 pm at the second Gallery at Via San Martino della Battaglia 6 in Varese (Historical Centre). The Artist will be present.  On display there will be a selection of previously unexhibited works of different sizes. This exhibition is the First Part of a larger project that will continue, in autumn, with a Second Solo Exhibition of the Artist in the historic PUNTO SULL’ARTE gallery in Varese (at Viale Sant’Antonio, 59/61). This will be an exclusive preview, therefore, of the great “Journey – Tabi” that Tom Porta will present, with new paintings and previously unexhibited sculptures, between September and October 2023 always in Varese. The exhibition at Via San Martino della Battaglia 6 in Varese (Historical Centre) will be open until June, Saturday 10.

TOM PORTA was born in Milan in 1970 and, since his childhood, he has shown a strong attitude towards drawing and art in general. He graduated as Art Master and began a successful career in illustration and photography. He has lived in Italy, Germany, France, Japan and the United States and, since the very beginning of his career, he has chosen to merge his life experiences into his own paintings. Since 2003 he has chosen to abandon illustration and photography to devote himself only to painting, quickly gaining a prominent position in the Italian art scene. Besides being mentioned among the top 100 Italian artists (2007), Porta’s artworks are published in important publications such as “500 anni di pittura italiana” (500 years of Italian painting) and in Sotheby’s and Christie’s catalogues. His work focuses on the history of the 20^th century, using past as a mirror for present. The artist is also fascinated by the passing of time that he tells through objects and places chosen in order to invite the viewer to embark on his personal journey, within present and future memories. He has been described as a photojournalist of painting because of the photographic cuts he gives to canvases, his latest works appear as snapshots that pay homage to the imagery associated with Japan. The quick brushstrokes combined with the precision typical of Oriental masters represent the essence of Porta’s artistic language, a language where tradition and international trends melt together. He has taken part in many solo and group exhibitions, including: “W.A.R. – We are Restless, the unheard soldier scream” at Palazzo Ducale in Genoa (2011), “Inferno” at the Famedio of Monumental Cemetery of Milan for the 100^th anniversary of World War I (2014), “Icarus” at Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa Airport (2018), “Inferno” at Pirelli Skyscraper in Milan (2018) and “Gaijin – Lo Straniero” at PUNTO SULL’ARTE Gallery in Varese (2022). He also exhibited at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Turin during La Biennale in 2011. He lives and works in Milan.