Italian Artist Luca Barberini at Helena Mason Art Gallery

Society Invites was invited by Natalie Olivas Sanchez, owner of the Helena Mason Art Gallery, to meet with their newest artist, Luca Barberini (b. 1981, Ravenna, Italy) and view his works before he returned to Italy. His exhibition, titled Inner Landscapes, is on view through October.

It was fab to reconnect with Sanchez; its #beenaminute, as we say. Sanchez introduced me to Barberini and his artist wife Arianna Gallo. The exhibition happened through a mutual friend of the gallery – mosaic artist Tami Macala, owner of Santa Barbara School of Mosaic Art – where Gallo taught a workshop. 

This happily married artist couple have lived – and produced their artwork – in the same building in Ravenna since 2000; the year they opened their studio Koko Mosaico. Gallo shared, “We have each our own studio and ask each other for advice and opinion. [laughs] My thinking is, whatever Luca says about my art, I do the opposite! And it’s worked out for us for the whole time.” 

Along the gallery’s lounge area wall are Luca’s mosaic creations, including his specific work for Santa Barbara titled, 48 Helena Ave Condominium comprised of 48 limited edition windows, 5.5 x 6 inches, mosaic mixed media. It is based on his original similar work of 2,000 windows. The 48 different windows are life in Santa Barbara as interpreted by him.

They forgave my latent Italian and somewhat better French, as they generously spoke in perfect English while we discussed his art process, background, and works on view at Helena Mason Art Gallery. Barberini was very open and happy to share, “My personal interpretation of the mosaic started 18 years ago studying mosaic art. I wanted to have my own signature mosaic art using this ancient technique. I use the ancient technique – a cement base, I cut the mosaic material pieces by hand with hand tools, and my mosaic materials are ceramic tiles, glass, stained glass, Murano glass, Venetian glass, gold, marble stone, and PVC board with print designs made from a UV printer. My designs are modern and contemporary. The faces of the persons in my art are made from only five cut pieces. My wife and I have a mosaic studio in Ravenna, she does classic mosaic work and commissions. We live and work together with our two teenage boys. I love to share my art. Most of my collectors come from the U.S.”

We talked about his work, tsunami 03, which is the fourth work in his tsunami series. Barberini, “The tsunami is a metaphor of human society. The books represent our culture and the passing of history, the jellyfish are a species that can be reborn and have a new life, so I use them in a lot of my work, there is a crowd of people of different colors, the carnivorous plants are a metaphor of the revenge of Mother Earth, and the boats represent our first way to move and discover a New World. The work is our history in the ocean and shaped like an ocean wave, the regular movement of the ocean, so to say we still do the same wrong and right things. Society as a tsunami is saying that society is without control.”

My art review: His work is meticulous and has a colorful flow, requiring, however, studied viewing to appreciate the finer details and messages. Here we have an artist using an ancient technique with contemporary design to speak about the world as he views it now. Most impressive and reflecting thinking material. Readers, it’s a #mustsee. 

Barberini has received awards for his art, shown his works in museums and has done exhibitions throughout Italy, France, Poland, Tokyo, Dallas, and now Santa Barbara. He graduated from the Istituto Statale d’Arte Gino Severini.

411: https://helenamasonartgallery.com/artists/luca-barberini
https://kokomosaico.com