Selena Leardini. Animanimale

Nero Gallery is pleased to present “Animanimale”, a solo show of the veronese artist Selena Leardini. The artist exhibits a series of unpublished paintings, made in acrylic, which arise from the attempt to represent the "human" soul inherent in every animal and vice versa, through the fusion of the two species. 
 
The passions, the desires, the courage, the strength that reside in the soul of these little anthropomorphic beings are reflected in their eyes, sometimes docile and veiled with sadness, other times determined and inquisitive, always capable of enchanting the observer. The fire that each of us carries within emerges from Selena's hybrid creatures, revealing the ardent spirit concealed beneath childlike and innocent features. 
 
All the ancient peoples believed that every animal possessed a wisdom from which to learn and, above all, that, like man, had an immortal soul. These thoughts were then inherited by numerous oriental religions, for which animals are worthy of veneration and love, until they are considered deities. The octopus, for example, is an ancient symbol of wisdom and cunning, thanks to its keen intelligence and its mimetic skills. It also expresses his mood by changing color. Its image symbolizes the encounter with the depth of the human psyche, for its dual character: introverted and shy but at the same time strong and aggressive. Selena depicts him as a beautiful girl with black hair who, having escaped the hook of a fisherman, is shipwrecked in the depths of the sea. 
 
The deer is a symbol of vital regeneration, thanks to the periodic renewal of its horns. These, similar to the branches of the trees, rise up to the sky acting as a bridge between the world of the living and the spirit world. In the artist's hybrid, despite the human side has received wounds, the eyes reveal the purity and pride of the animal spirit. The cat, undisputed symbol of grace and immortality, is worshiped in different cultures as a deity. Thanks to his ability to see in the dark it’s considered able to connect with the surrounding world, visible and invisible, and to look beyond, even in the darkness of the subconscious. In the same way Selena's little cat girl seems to want to read inside us. 
 
Selena's animal little girls, devoid of any evil or aggression, but apparently in need of attention or care, seem to remind us of the certainty that the soul is not exclusive of the human species and that, vice versa, within every human being there’s the spirit of an animal, different for everyone. It is up to us to recognize which animal soul is closer to us. 

 

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