Spiegel 2011

Alfio Giuffrida’s 'Spiegel' is like stumbling into a dream logic world made up of everyday objects. There is a real joy in the simple colour palette and the way Giuffrida approaches the surface of the canvas; it's all about the layering and building up of forms. You can see that Giuffrida is really thinking through the relationship between each of the objects he is portraying. The objects are rendered in flat colours, which creates a disorientating and slightly unreal feeling. Giuffrida isn't trying to trick us into thinking these are real objects, more that they are stand-ins for thoughts or memories. Take, for example, the way he renders the handles of each "mirror," these are so flat and solid, so certain of themselves! I am reminded a little bit of Giorgio Morandi, but if he'd had a much weirder junk drawer. Ultimately, it's this openness to playful interpretation that makes Giuffrida's work so rewarding.