Opening: Wednesday, June 4 at 19:00 - 21:00
Via Vincenzo Monti 32, 20123 Milan
WIZARD GALLERY is pleased to present a two-person exhibition by Giancarlo Scaglia (Lima, 1981) and Amikam Toren (Jerusalem, 1945).
For his second exhibition in Italy, Amikam Toren pays homage to the country with a new series of works in which, for the first time, he incorporates Italian words and expressions.
On the other hand, Giancarlo Scaglia’s works explore themes of nature, time, and its passage, inviting viewers to reflect on the duality of transience and eternity.
Drawing from the classical tradition of landscape painting, Scaglia develops a practice that merges historical investigation, material experimentation, and reflection on collective memory. In his works, time and nature play a role in the artistic process: In a gesture that fuses intention and chance, the canvases—left by the artist among the ruins of El Frontón Island—are shaped by the interactions with seabirds and thr effects of the weather.
The Peruvian island of El Frontón—exploited in the 19th century by the guano industry and transformed in the 20th century into a prison with a complex political history—becomes a symbol of change, namely, a physical and symbolic place where memory, history, and environment converge.
Remaining faithful to the distinctive style developed in recent recent years, Amikam Toren creates compositions that combine images and text: Old oil paintings, sourced from flea markets, are transformed as the artist cuts out words from the surface of the image. Toren shows a keen interest in ordinary, everyday objects, demonstrating—very much in the spirit of Duchamp’s readymades—how a minimal artistic intervention can give these objects new meaning, and imbue them with aesthetic depth and emotional resonance.
Through popular expressions and cliché exclamations, the exhibition takes the viewer on an imaginary and renewed “Grand Tour of Italy”, evoking the historic tradition embraced by European artists and writers between the 17th and 19th centuries. Untouched landscapes and still-lives become the pages of a fictional travel journal, suggesting languid days spent in sweet idleness along the banks of a gentle stream, at the foot of a snow-capped mountain.
Giancarlo Scaglia studied Visual Arts in Lima, the city where his artistic career began. His work has been shown in numerous internationally recognized venues. Notable solo exhibitions include Stellar and El Frontón at Corkin Gallery, Toronto (2015), and Stellar at Bendana | Pinel Art Contemporain, Paris (2014). He has also participated in major biennials and triennials such as the X Bienal do Mercosul in Porto Alegre (Brazil, 2015) and the IV Poly/Graphic Triennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico (2015). His works are held in both private and public collections, including the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI).
Amikam Toren gained prominence in the 1970s, particularly after moving to London in 1968. Known for his conceptual approach and innovative use of materials and techniques, he has exhibited in numerous internationally acclaimed galleries, including the Serpentine Gallery, Ikon Gallery, Chisenhale Gallery, and Nona Gallery in Tel Aviv. His works are part of the permanent collections of institutions such as Tate, London, and the British Arts Council.
