FIRETTI CONTEMPORARY PRESENTS:
ROOTS & REFLECTIONS:
A Journey Through Time & Nature
Curated by Mara Firetti
May 6 through July 5, 2023 Dubai
Roots and Reflections: A Journey through Time and Nature features the works of four contemporary artists with diverse backgrounds. Through various mediums, these artists explore the themes of memory and identity, nature and environment, and innovation and experimentation, inviting viewers to reflect on essential questions about the human condition and our relationship with the world around us.
Robert Santore's layered pieces express the complexity of his memories and personal history, while Halim Flowers challenges societal norms through his works. Sylvestre Gauvrit's organic sculptures and Jason Middlebrook's wooden wall sculptures provoke contemplation on our relationship with nature.
This exhibition also showcases the innovative and experimental pieces of Santore and Gauvrit, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with different mediums. "Roots and Reflections" invites us to reflect on the universal themes artists explore through their work and reminds us of the importance of our roots and our connection to the natural world. Join this captivating journey through time and nature and discover the power of art to inspire creativity and critical reflection.
Collective exhibition: Robert Santore, Jason Middlebrook, Sylvestre Gauvrit, and Halim Flowers.
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ABOUT FIRETTI CONTEMPORARY
CREATING MEANINGFUL AND SUSTAINABLE COLLECTIONS
Firetti Contemporary is a gallery where art and creative concepts align from the region and beyond, encouraging global engagement through creating meaningful and sustainable collections.
 By representing both established and emerging artists from all over the world, Firetti Contemporary strives to build a multidisciplinary art space with a strong identity to an international platform. Bringing together like-minded individuals and pioneers of the artistic and expressive future, the gallery assembles a dynamic curation of works that encourage the importance of individuality as well as establishing collective alignment.
Using the vast space of the gallery, Firetti Contemporary ventures to support a network of collaborations with a unique taste in presentation, becoming an integral part of the local community. The gallery embraces the central place that art can play in sustainability and social issues, whilst doing so its mission is to become a vehicle for social change, instilling values in our society through the inspirational power of art.
Founded by Mara Firetti, an entrepreneur dedicated to the promotion and growth of international artists. In the last 15 years as an art advisor and artist promoter, Mara principally dedicated her expertise in developing the career of sculptor Helidon Xhixha. Organising public events and international exhibitions in renowned institutions and Art Fairs, allowed her to acquire a large portfolio of high-profile art collectors, and extensive experience as a press officer for artists with a network of important relationships.
 At her right hand side is Celine Azem, a Syrian-Italian curator. She received her bachelor’s degree in Curation at Central Saint Martins (London, UK) in 2019. Celine is part of Firetti Contemporary’s team as Curator and Director. Her practice as a curator is interdisciplinary, covering a range of themes and working with both international and regional artists. She has organised exhibitions in both the private and public sectors and engages in cross-cultural exchange between the UAE and Italy. Her focus is on promoting and supporting the growth of artists from the Middle East.
Together the team shares a deeply rooted passion in art and all it stands for. Their mission is to establish an Art Gallery that promotes and supports emerging and established artists that create meaningful artworks and deliver a strong statement from different corners of the world.
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NEW WORK
SELECTED WORKS VOL I: 2020-2022
New work continuing the Opera Series in reduced sizes from 66 inches high x 118 inches wide.
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ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
60 X 210in" (152.4 x 533.4cm")
Oil, enamel, wax on linen on birch panels
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"UTINAM ESSET BELLATOR" / “IF ONLY I WERE THAT WARRIOR”, 2022
40 × 60in (101.6 × 152.4cm)
Gouache on paper
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“MTAURUS REBELLIS ET IMPLICATI AMANTES”
(“The Rebellious bull and the intertwined lovers”)
66 x 118in (167.64x 299.72cm)
Oil, oil stick, military and industrial enamels, bee’s wax on linen
View on: Artsy | Web Site | Instagram
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“MY KISS WILL DISSOLVE THE SILENCE”
66 x 118in (167.64x 299.72cm)
Oil, oil stick, military and industrial enamels, bee’s wax on linen
View on: Artsy | Web Site | Instagram
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“MENDACIUM HEREDITAS MEA FUIT”
(“My Inheritance was a lie”)
73 x 74in (185.42 x 187.96cm)
Oil, oil stick, military and industrial enamels, bee’s wax on linen
View on: Artsy | Web Site | Instagram
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“QUOD ES, OLIM FUI, ET QUOD SUM EAIS”
(“What you are, I once was, and what I am, you will be”)
66 x 118in (167.64x 299.72cm) Oil, oil stick, military and industrial enamels, bee’s wax on linen
Private Collection Dubai, UAE
View on: Artsy | Web Site | Instagram
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Robert Santoré is an American artist known for his colorful emotional paintings that blend elements of both the figurative and abstract.
Born in Houston 1961 he is a 5th generation Texan. Santoré grew up in the UK and later in Huntington, Newport and Laguna Beaches in Souther California. From an early age embraced surfing and the “So Cal beach lifestyle.“
The oldest child in a creative family enabled his talent to be recognized early where he spent most of his life in the art world.
Santoré attended Parson’s School of Design in New York City and went on to study at the The Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles where he honed his skills as a painter.
He began exhibiting his work in the 1980s and became well-known for his distinctive approach and vibrant color choices.
Santoré’s paintings often feature abstracted figures, words and phases, urban landscapes, and methodological elements that are rendered in a bold and expressive manner evoking a sense of energy and movement. He is characterized by his use of vibrant colors and strong, gestural brushstrokes.
He was heavily influenced by the Abstract Expressionist & POP ART movement of the 1950s and 60s, which emphasized the emotional and physical act of painting and ironic pop-art commentary.
Santoré’s art career has been marked by a constant evolution, with his work reflecting his exploration of new techniques and styles.
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He has experimented with various mediums, such as oil paint, encaustic, acrylics, gouache, watercolors, military and industrial enamels, and has depicted a diverse range of subjects, including the human figure, urban landscapes, and the ocean.He frequently employs a technique called “Alla Prima,” which involves applying wet paint to wet paint in order to create a sense of immediacy and energy in the final work.
“I want my paintings to stand alone, to speak for themselves. I am only the conduit.” He believes that art is a universal language which communicate across cultures and languages.
In addition to painting, Santoré is also a prolific printmaker, creating etchings, lithographs, and other editions continuing to today.
His works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums across the United States and around the world, and is held in many private and public collections.
He is currently working in his Soho studio focusing on his vibrant and expressive art. His work continues to inspire and captivate viewers as a talented, innovative artist who pushes the boundaries of contemporary painting.
His works continue to attract and move viewers with their raw emotional power and his dynamic visual language.
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