A Return to Painting: A Turning Point in Giubba's Artistic Journey
After years of dedicating himself to the Italian Academy of Art, Fashion, and Design, which he founded and directed for over 40 years, Giubba is making a notable return to painting. This shift marks a significant moment in his artistic journey as he revisits themes connected to his creative path, which he had set aside for the academy.
By revisiting and fragmenting some of his past works, reducing their dimensions, Giubba reclaims his past, reinterpreting it, and presenting some characters and archetypes in a contemporary light.
The use of white in his retouches stands out as a symbol of purification and renewal, highlighting the artist’s desire to propel his works towards new dimensions of meaning and interpretation. Luca Monti, a renowned art critic, described the exhibition as a “retrospective and alchemical operation,” emphasizing the initiatory aspect and the quest for a new light that characterizes Giubba’s journey.
As often happens, the characters and stories begin to take on a life of their own, demanding representation. Giubba’s sensitivity lies in capturing this urgency.
Thus, "Fragments... and Other Stories" was born, where M° Vincenzo Giubba’s works from 2023 - 2024 will be displayed alongside these "fragments" at the Spazio Mecenate gallery in Rome from October 15 to November 1, 2024.
This new period has produced works full of irony, with deep and arcane symbolism, leaving their interpretation to the viewer, who must solve the enigma.
One recurring subject is a blindfolded, playful figure mocking a dangerous and dark reality; a symbol of modern man, constantly balancing between the past and the future, always afloat despite dangers and obstacles... an everyday hero depicted by the Master in his new works.
Art critic M. Chiara Strappaveccia wrote in the catalog for the "Fragments" exhibition held in April 2024: "Like Kazimir Malevich, who in the second phase of his career revisited his cultural traditions and embraced an art driven by emotion and sentiment—what critics termed a 'fifth dimension'—Giubba portrays objects in his paintings as expressions of his inner self, re-emerging in new, personalized forms, following a cohesive logic that distinguishes the 'alogical art' of the great Polish master."
Giubba’s interdisciplinary experiences in visual art, fashion, design, photography, and set design have connected him with artists, designers, and cultural figures. Esteemed fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood, Carla Fendi, John Richmond, Ermanno Scervino, Elio Fiorucci, and Roberto Capucci, along with cinema figures such as directors Franco Zeffirelli and James Ivory, Oscar-winning set designer Gianni Quaranta, artists like Michelangelo Pistoletto and Silvano Campeggi, photographer Oliviero Toscani, and architect-designers Andrea Branzi and Alessandro Mendini have all collaborated with the academy, offering young people the chance to meet the masters.
In 2016, Giubba was awarded the international "Le Muse" prize for his support of youth creativity and cultural and artistic promotion (Palazzo Vecchio, Salone dei Cinquecento, Florence).
In 2018, for Nardini Editions, the master recounted over 30 years of activity in a book-interview: "The Creative Method" - Nicolas Ballario meets Vincenzo Giubba, with a preface by Francesco Merlo.
