Exponate Exp9 2017

Curator: Alfio Giuffrida’s 2017 piece, “Exponate Exp9,” offers a curious visual catalog. My first thought goes to storage or archiving. It feels like a collection of relics in amber, frozen in time and displayed on shelves. What catches your eye? Editor: These shapes, carefully rendered and framed, have a distinctly retro aesthetic. But to call them relics suggests a loss. I think Giuffrida presents these not as faded memories but as everyday items, almost hyper-real because of the style and placement. Curator: Good point. The stylized depiction coupled with the flat perspective actually abstracts them. Each form stands as an icon representing something functional, though its practical use is not clear. We’re left with a symbolic essence of the everyday object. Take the reds, for example, standing for something essential… Editor: The reds do dominate! Their sharp hue makes the objects feel very present. Giuffrida’s approach here evokes mid-century consumerism, a culture increasingly mediated through commodities, an almost totemic relationship between person and object. The palette itself feels vintage, conjuring specific historical moments. Curator: And the way they are neatly compartmentalized reminds me of the display cases often found in anthropological museums. Could this also be a commentary on cultural collecting? Are these simply containers on display? Editor: That could definitely be part of Giuffrida’s critique: framing daily life. We like to classify and order everything. The composition creates a sort of playful yet critical lens through which we view consumer society. And with our own perspectives. Curator: The artwork’s soft lilac backdrop provides a neutral and almost comforting foundation. Yet within that calm surface, there are vibrant symbolic messages related to culture and memory. Editor: Exactly. I think in many ways, Giuffrida’s artwork provides a refreshing meditation on the relationship between us and things and the way both shape cultural life.