Galeria Contini, Venice; Sperone Westwater, New York
Mimmo Paladino is a master of the ‘archaic’ of what have come to seem rather outdated forms: geometrical abstraction makes a grand appearance in one untitled tour de force, while the human face and figure (almost all are religious icons painted black) appear repeatedly in another work… Religion has always relied on spectacle, but what happens when religion is no longer authentic, and only spectacle remains? The result is nostalgia, which pervades Paladino’s work, though here it represents a yearning for a lost significance rather than the sentimental contemplation of a once spiritual world. Paladino also shows us the possibilities inherent in reprise – the uniform red of his geometrical abstraction takes us back to Matisse’s Harmony in Red, 1908, via Barnett Newman’s Vir Heroicus Sublimis, 1950-51. Of course, while the restoration of forms long thought exhausted may be an artistic miracle, it can never compare to the resurrection of Lazarus. That is, it cannot convert us, however admirable the attempt may be. D. Kuspit, ‘Mimmo Paladino: Sperone Westwater – art exhibit’ in ArtForum, October, 1996