Ninni Pagano (1969) - Anelli di memoria

Ninni Pagano was born in Catania. Always passionate about Wunderkammer and about everything nature offers in its beauty, this passion led him to study in the studio of master Antonio Sciacca, his teacher. It was 2011, and from that moment his artistic career began, propelling him to increasing prominence and earning the esteem of critics such as Aldo Albani, Roberta Filippi of the Orler Gallery, Philippe Daverio, and Daniele Radini Tedeschi. In 2016 his name appears in the prestigious American guide Guide Museums Galleries Artists. After taking part in two Triennials of contemporary art in Rome with his works published in Mondadori catalogs, in 2020 his name appears in the prestigious Atlas of Contemporary Art by De Agostini.
The work is an oil on canvas, signed and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity with the artist's logo, the artwork's characteristics, and the artist's signature at the bottom.
The colors of the painting may vary slightly from the photo due to camera and screen settings.
The artwork is carefully packed with bubble wrap and cardboard.

Memory rings
In this work the woman's body emerges from a dark and deep background, almost theatrical, which draws all attention to the figure. There is an aristocratic elegance, but also a kind of suspended melancholy.
The central element, which gives the work its name, is the series of golden rings that wrap around the woman's neck. The title suggests that those rings are not just ornaments, but represent stratifications of memories, experiences, or traditions. Like the rings of a tree tell its age, these "rings of memory" seem to support (or perhaps force) the protagonist's face upward.
The figure evokes the traditions of distant peoples (such as the Kayan women), but here they are decontextualized and placed in a modern, minimalist setting (note the dark bodysuit and the contemporary jewelry on the fingers).
Pagano adopts an aesthetics reminiscent of Mannerism, with elongated proportions (neck, fingers, torso) that give the woman an otherworldly and fragile appearance. This sought-after 'deformation' intensifies the sense of a noble yet suffering beauty, almost statuesque. (Swan Women)
The woman does not look at the viewer; her profile is turned toward a distant point, outside the frame. This creates a sense of detachment and introspection. The hands, knotty and tapered, are clasped on her knees in a pose of waiting or resignation, making the work deeply psychological.
In short: 'Memory Rings' seems to reflect on the weight of the past and on how our identity (the head) is sustained by a structure made of accumulated memories, which at the same time elevates us and binds us to an unknown universe.





Instagram:@ninnipagano