SAN GIMIGNANO .- GALLERIA CONTINUA is hosting a new solo exhibition by the promising young contemporary artist Marta Spagnoli. Fantasmata, the title of the exhibition, features a cycle of never before seen works created in 2024. These works stem from an in-depth exploration of the image and its potential for movement and transformation.

Building on key themes from her recent research such as the influence of natural and social environments on human beings, dance, and the symbolic presence of organic and animal forms the artist centers her reflections on the concept of Fantasmata. The word Fantasmata belongs to Western philosophical discourse and is also found in the world of dance. It describes a sudden pause between two consecutive movements, moments that virtually encapsulate the past, present, and future memory of an entire choreographic sequence. The concept of choreography is particularly central to the large-format canvases presented in this exhibition, where the arrangement of elements follows a logic of movement, hierarchy, and interaction between forms.

Simple organic forms, such as algae, are depicted at times with sharp clarity and at other times transformed through continuous layers of paint and markings. These algae float, suspended between potential and realization, contributing to the formation of a sentient landscape. Their collective, swirling motion extends that primordial movement from chaos to order, creating a scene that is not merely natural but also deeply emotional and psychological.

In the work Fantasmata II, a grid emerges as a system of lanes. It not only suggests a structural interpretation of the image but also defines a space where movement can be organized and managed, while simultaneously being interrupted or distorted. The works never fully submit to order or structure; there is always room for the accidental and the unexpected. Erratic elements such as a yellow devil, clawed creatures, or a milky veil of liquid paint poured onto the canvas act as agents of cohesion or disruption. These elements create an experience that oscillates between form and formlessness, figure and disfiguration. Their sudden and surprising appearances serve as witnesses to the choreography unfolding within the work, revealing the canvas itself as a field of forces, trajectories, movements, and complex relational entanglements.

Marta Spagnoli (Verona, 1994) lives and works in Venice. Her notable exhibitions include: “ON THE ROCKS”, Galleria Continua Paris, France (2024); “Pittura Italiana Oggi”, Triennale of Milan, Milan, Italy (2023); “De Leur Temps (7), Un Regard sur les Collections Privé Françaises”, Dunkerque, France (2023); “A World of Coexistence - 2022 Jinan International Biennale”, Jinan, China (2023); “DA⭢A Gli artisti della Collezione BLM 1998 2018”, The Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, Italy (2022); “In primo luogo”, Galleria Continua Rome, Italy (2022); “HORIZON”, Brussels, Belgium (2022); “A parallel viewpoint, Moulin de Sainte-Marie, Boissy Le Châtel, France (2022); “IL EST ICI, TOUJOURS AILLEURS”, Galleria Continua Paris and Les Moulins, France (2022); “Earthly Body”, Galleria Continua Les Moulins, France (2021); “Italian Twist”, Gallerie delle Prigioni, Treviso, Italy (2021); “Truc à faire”, Galleria Continua Paris, France (2021); “Felicia Munera”, per Una Boccata d’Arte, Ronciglione, Italy (2020); “Whiteout”, Galleria Continua San Gimignano, Italy (2020); “Libere Tutte”, Casa Testori, Novate Milanese, Italy (2019); “Art Zagreb”, Zagrabia, Croatia (2019); “Immersione Libera”, Palazzina dei Bagni Misteriosi, Milan, Italy (2019); “102nd Young Artists Collective”, the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Galleria di Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy (2019); “Braintooling”, Forte di Monte Ricco, Pieve di Cadore, Italy (2018). In 2019, she won the first Artissima Prize for Vinitaly and the 2nd prize ex aequo at the 102nd Collective Exhibition of Young Artists organized by the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation in Venice, Italy. Her works are part of the public collections of the CRC Foundation, Cuneo, Italy; the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, Italy; the Giancarlo Ligabue Foundation, Venice, Italy and Spazio Almag, Bresica, Italy.