Ninni Pagano (1969) - Silenziosità e affinità acquatica

Biography of Ninni Pagano

Born in Catania in 1969, Ninni Pagano initially pursues scientific studies, a background that will influence the precision and structure of his future works. His entry into the art world comes through attending the studio of master Antonio Sciacca, with whom he shares a vision of art as a bridge between different eras.

The Poetics: "The Cabinet of Wonders"
Pagano’s research is closely tied to the concept of Wunderkammer (Cabinet of Wonders). His works are often conceived as mental spaces where they merge:

Classicism and Pop: Elements of Greek and Renaissance statuary are reinterpreted with solid colors and contemporary symbolisms.

Alchemy and Philosophy: The artist investigates the enigma of existence through dreamlike figures (such as his famous "Swan Women") and hermetic references.

Matter: He uses mixed powders to obtain a chromatic compactness that gives the canvases a almost sculptural dimension.

Achievements and Recognitions
Although his exhibition career fully took off around 2011, he quickly reached internationally notable milestones:
Venice Biennale: Exhibited at the 56th edition (2015) within the exhibition "Grazie Italia" at the Guatemala Pavilion.
Rome Triennale: Participation in the Visual Arts Triennale Exhibition in 2014.
Publications: His work is included in Mondadori’s Modern Art Catalogue (CAM) and in the De Agostini Atlas of Contemporary Art.

International Presence: His works have been shown at prestigious venues such as the Altes Dampfbad Museum in Baden-Baden, Germany, and at the Art Market in Budapest.
Beyond being a painter and sculptor, Pagano is an expert connoisseur of antique art. This passion is reflected in the way he “recovers” the past, not to copy it, but to transform it into a grotesque and fascinating language that speaks of the contradictions of modern man.

Silence and Aquatic Affinity
This work explores the connection between the human psyche and the submerged world through an atmosphere of surreal suspension.

Figurative Analysis

The painting depicts a young woman in profile wearing a blue-gray swim cap with an orange stripe, facing a goldfish that floats in mid-air against a dark, detail-less background. The female figure, resting with arms folded against what seems to be a wooden surface or the edge of a tub, presents elongated and architectural features, a fixed and piercing gaze directed at the animal, and red lips highlighted. The goldfish, painted with great care in the details of its fins and scales, reflects the warm tones of the face and cap details, creating an immediate visual dialogue between the two subjects.

Critical Analysis

The work sits within a figurative surrealist-symbolist thread, playing on formal and conceptual contrasts:

Chromatic and formal symmetry: The orange of the stripe on the cap and the lipstick is perfectly echoed in the golden livery of the fish, suggesting an identity bond or inner correspondence between the woman and the animal.

Isolation and estrangement: The deep black background removes any space-time reference, turning the scene into a mental space or an open-eye dream where the laws of physics (such as gravity for the fish) are suspended.

Incommunicability and gazes: Despite their physical proximity, the interaction remains mute; the woman’s fixed gaze expresses a melancholic search for connection, while the immobile eye of the fish returns an inscrutable neutrality, emphasizing the theme of the "silent affinity" and contemporary alienation.

Instagram:@ninnipagano