Mimmo Paladino

The Italian painter and sculptor Mimmo Paladino is a leading representative of the Transavanguardia movement, later also called Arte Cifra – a school of art which since 1977 has concerned itself with an individualistic and symbolic language, addressing, once again, the figure and the object: ancient and Christian motifs, non-European symbols and forms as well as quotations from western art history are combined without betraying any noticeable sense connection, giving rise to an expressive, coded pictorial world which also brings the unconscious into play. Yet Mimmo Paladino’s earlier preoccupation with the abstract is still noticeable in his formal language. Two bronze sculptures by the artist can be seen in ”Blickachsen 7”. ”Porta d’Oriente” (Gateway to the Orient) is on display for the duration of the exhibition in the lower castle courtyard, placed between the two arched gateways of the castle, to which it forms a contemporary counterpoint. The stylized bronze horse entitled ”Architettura“, on the other hand, stands in the upper courtyard opposite the Baroque bust of the Landgrave, complementing the historical sculptures on display in the castle.