Bivaga (1972) - La Custodia Del Mutamento

In La Custodia del Mutamento, Bivaga introduces an unexpected presence into the language of classical portraiture. A young woman, adorned with pearls and restrained elegance, holds a chameleon with quiet composure. The contrast is immediate yet harmonious. Refinement meets instinct. Permanence meets transformation.

The chameleon becomes more than an exotic detail. It embodies adaptation, perception, and the silent intelligence of survival. Resting against delicate lace and luminous skin, it disrupts expectation while remaining completely at ease within the composition.

The painting explores the tension between stability and change. Pearls suggest lineage and continuity, while the living creature introduces motion and unpredictability. What appears traditional becomes subtly contemporary. The result is a portrait that speaks of identity not as fixed, but as something observed, adjusted, and consciously held.

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About the artist:
Agatino Bivona, known artistically as Bivaga, was born in Biancavilla, Sicily, in 1972 and currently lives and works in Adrano. A pupil and close confidant of master Antonio Sciacca, Bivaga began his artistic journey at a young age and has spent over three decades refining his unmistakable visual language. His hyperrealistic portraits, rich in symbolism and emotional nuance, have been featured in major exhibitions in Italy and abroad. Celebrated in critical publications such as I Grandi Maestri (2009), and reviewed by prominent art critics like Nicola Villari and Alfredo Pasolino, Bivaga’s works are held in private collections across Europe, the United States, and Japan — carrying fragments of Sicilian elegance far beyond its borders.

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Full catalogue on www.BivagaStudio.com
Instagram: @bivagastudio

Curated by Havisham & Co.
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