29 August 2003: Triangolino – The Italian Connection, an exhibition of artworks from Italy and Ireland will be formally opened in the Riverbank Arts Centre on Sunday 7 September next by Laura Olivetti, Italian Cultural Attaché and Director of the Italian Cultural Institute.
The aim of this exhibition is to give audiences in County Kildare (and beyond) an opportunity to see the work of leading contemporary Irish artists, and also to introduce artists from abroad whose work has not previously been exhibited in Ireland.
The exhibition includes the works of three well-known Irish artists who live, or have lived in Italy – Richard Gorman, Seán Shanahan, and Stephen McKenna. Each has selected an Italian artist to exhibit with them – Roberto Caracciolo, Antonio Scaccabarozzi and Stefano di Stasio.
From minimalism to magic realism, a wide range of stylistic approaches is evident in the works of the six artists. Seán Shanahan and Antonio Scaccabarozzi’s work exhibits a restrained minimalism, whilst the painterly abstraction of Richard Gorman and Roberto Caracciolo has a subtle and yet energetic quality. Very different are the styles of Stefano di Stasio and Stephen McKenna, both drawing on the figurative tradition, yet imbuing their works with a surreal, mysterious edge. All six have exhibited widely in Europe, the US, and as far afield as Japan and Saudia Arabia.
A catalogue accompanies the exhibition, with an essay by Isabel Nolan, and texts by the artists.
The organisers gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship by Ballymore Properties Ltd.
