Rosea 2020

Curator: Let's dive into Camilla d'Errico's "Rosea," created in 2020. It's quite a striking piece. Editor: My first thought? Bubblegum dreams. That pervasive pink is so enveloping; it's almost suffocatingly sweet, yet strangely calming. Curator: Indeed. D'Errico, known for her pop-surrealist style, blends elements of fantasy, realism, and portraiture quite seamlessly here. Notice the precise rendering of the figures against the soft, almost ethereal, backdrop. Editor: The flamingo headdress is so whimsical, verging on the absurd! Then you've got the little axolotl nestled at her chest and is that a pink robin perched on her shoulder? What do you make of this curious assemblage? Curator: The assembly speaks volumes! The flamingo, an exotic creature often associated with balance, rests atop her head—perhaps suggesting a fragility or preciousness of thought. Then the axolotl symbolizes resilience. The bird... well it's as if she carries nature itself. These animals, almost like totems, tell the story of this character. Editor: It's as though d'Errico invites us into a space that lives within her dreams. I get the feeling this portrait captures the emotional interior rather than aiming at the likeness of someone real. The blending of all of the surreal details creates a certain aura of enchantment and vulnerability that speaks to my own inner child. What kind of art materials do you think it utilizes? Curator: Primarily, d'Errico worked with acrylic paints in “Rosea,” achieving delicate textures and shading that lend the scene its almost otherworldly quality. Look closely, you will discover an arsenal of illustrative strategies, rendering precise figures with sharp line work in juxtaposition to airy painterly backgrounds, creating a sort of tension across different kinds of visual vocabularies. Editor: So the artist is fluent in the languages of fantasy art and formal painting to deliver her visual dream. All those considered details, like the praying mantis nestled behind the pink flamingo are very arresting in their design. The attention given to that character makes you linger there just a few seconds longer to be present with something else unexpected. It almost feels voyeuristic. What a wild image. Curator: Ultimately, "Rosea" evokes the complex interplay between nature, identity, and self-reflection, inviting us to confront these same subjects. Editor: A pastel paradox, a soft scream in a candied shell! I won’t look at pink the same way ever again.