20x20 Natural Forms
Riccardo Farinelli24 luglio – 20 agosto 2026
Opening Friday 25th September 2026, h 5.30 pm
The exhibition 20×20 NATURAL FORMS by artist Riccardo Farinelli opens on Friday, September 25, 2026, at 5.30 pm at the Galleria Immaginaria in Florence.
The exhibition’s title clearly states its content: the core works around which the project is built indeed share these dimensions, visually representing a line of reasoning and a reflection on the complex relationship between Nature and Culture.
Starting from a meticulous analysis and a realistic depiction of a 20×20 centimeter segment of an ordinary urban garden, the exhibition—including through its formal approach—makes explicit reference to human attempts at understanding and harmonization, of which the Florentine Renaissance offers one of the supreme examples.
Monochrome brush drawings and oil glazes formally evoke these endeavors; the concept is further developed through out-of-scale representations—still 20×20 in size—of individual fruits (apple, pear, orange, walnut, etc.), or rather the single detail of a tree deemed truly essential, arranged within the gallery space like scientific plates. Finally, a depiction of a walnut kernel, executed using oil glazes, demonstrates that painting is capable of evoking meanings and depths that extend far beyond the subject itself.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Florence in February 1952 and a graduate in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, he lives and works in Prato.
From the outset of his career, he has viewed art as a means of knowledge and exchange—an opportunity available to every individual, who is free to make their own choices.
Consistent with this conviction, his artistic practice has evolved through an exploration of the intrinsic qualities of image-making; he has deepened his mastery of manual techniques related to drawing and painting while also experimenting with collaborations across various artistic disciplines.
Driven by this vision, he has founded various working groups and cultural associations dedicated to forging connections between nature, culture, and history.
His engagement with the public—both conceptual (stimulated by the Historical Avant-gardes and figures like Marcel Duchamp) and tangible/practical—led him to explore the communicative dynamic between image and audience, a process further enriched by his encounter with Bruno Munari.
Extending this dialogue with the public and with historical layers into real-world spaces, he has developed specific projects that seek out unconventional locations and involve other artists, for whom he has curated site-specific exhibitions.
