CORONAVIRUS TIME 2020

Curator: Sergio Mario Illuminato created "CORONAVIRUS TIME" in 2020 using a mixed-media approach, incorporating matter-painting techniques with acrylic paint and a distinctive relief effect. Editor: My initial feeling is one of bleakness. The all-white palette combined with the textured surface creates a sense of isolation and confinement, as if something is buried or hidden beneath layers of hardship. Curator: Indeed. The artist masterfully manipulates texture to engage the viewer. Notice how the monochromatic color scheme encourages a close examination of the work’s subtle variations in light and shadow. The formal element of the portrait—more specifically the figuration—is muted and yet prevalent because of this effect. Editor: The portrait element is fascinating. The almost ghostly figure seems to be struggling against this oppressive surface. The texture could symbolize the overwhelming anxiety and challenges of the pandemic, representing not only a personal struggle, but the broader societal impacts of disease. We see not a portrait but an anti-portrait that seems almost entombed within the layers. Curator: You are right. The texture itself acts as a visual metaphor for the virus's disruptive impact. The figure seems to almost merge with it. Through form and texture, the artwork conveys a strong message of both resilience and suffocation. Editor: Absolutely. What initially feels cold transforms into a raw and intimate depiction of survival and memorialization in the face of profound societal upheaval, underscoring themes of marginalization, struggle, and social invisibility, but also persistence in the face of adversity. Curator: On my end, I find the surface’s materiality creates an optical illusion that highlights negative space, almost implying the absence of a material presence that emphasizes its structure as a form of existential expressionism. Editor: An impactful and urgent statement, wouldn't you say? A critical interrogation of power, identity, and social memory that captures something essential about the human spirit in the midst of crisis.