Aquiles Azar Billini
Artouverture / Fundación Mantovani, Milan
In the recent pictorial production of Aquiles Azar Billini (1965), his infinite combinations of fire, water, earth and air imply the notions and processes of light, life, trace, dissolution, transformation, transmutation, reaction and fertilizing friction. In fact, the formidable selection exhibited between April and May by Artouverture Gallery at the Mantovani Foundation, Vía Padova 36, Milan, under the title “Elementary Frictions”, has allowed us to discover and enjoy a vertiginous access to paroxystic levels of reflection and expressive freedom.
Among the works included in this exhibit, all of them execut- ed in 2009 and 2010, some are particularly noteworthy for their striking visual impact and critical resistance. This is the case of the ones entitled Paradisus, Vivacidad, Revuelo Marino, Parábola, Hálito, Cadencioso, Ebullición, Relato terrenal and Energía Contemplativa, in which the author employs natural and industrial materials sophisticatedly elaborate and also quite costly − such as linen, wood, shells, vinyl, silicone,polyurethane, oil, acrylic, glitter, metallic paper, fantasy gems and imitation jewelry, sequins and synthetic resins. In these works, Aquiles Azar Billini delves into a series of key issues in the dialogue revolving around the “trans- parent ties” with nature; into the importance of biological diversity for the balance of our planet’s ecosystems; and into certain spiritual complexities that sensibly touch the contemporary human condition, such as love, pain, joy, or the enigma of existence.
In this respect, the Italian curator Rita Calenda, remarks, precisely, that “The atmosphere and aromas of the Caribbean islands stimulate Azar Billini in the search of unusual materials...In these works, it is possible to perceive and breathe an aura of serenity and hope, and one becomes a child again. For each work, one can imagine when it was created and how much energy, pas- sion and infinite love has been instilled into it to create these well balanced color contrasts, devoid of excesses, always rational. In some canvases the artist resorts to unconventional materials, such as fire and smoke, and the choice of technique, generally mixed media, is perfect”.
But Aquiles Azar Billini himself gives us some clues about these first works included in his penultimate series: “When I paint, I have no pretensions regarding limits; rather, I simply enjoy the energy, friction, conquest, ferment and internal disquisition that mixes with and revitalizes matter along its path revealing the earthly aspect of our creation, as a reflection of the breath of life that has given us form. For me, the act of painting implies enjoying the search for design, which is the result of the momentum derived from predestination; it is like being a traveler journeying from the invisible to the visible”.
