TABI IL VIAGGIO parte II | Tom Porta

The solo show by TOM PORTA “TABI – THE JOURNEY” continues and is brought to conclusion at PUNTO SULL’ARTE Gallery. After the first part, which took place last May at the second Gallery in the Historical Centre of Varese, now TABI – THE JOURNEY sees its end. The Opening reception will be held on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 at 11 am at the main Gallery, in Viale Sant’Antonio 59/61 in Varese (Casbeno).

TABI is not only an exhibition, it is a departure and return in continuum. From the choice of the subject, to the first sketches, to the preparation of canvas and materials, up until the final varnishing which entrusts a precious past moment to the present, TABI is the entirety of works, and every work is TABI, a journey. Every journey, however, is also another type of suffering: it manifests itself as a lack and feeds on both wonder and pain.

Japan, with the originality of its culture and of its social structures, as well as the strength of its traditions, has the capacity to frequently leave us amazed.  Technology and digital screens make it an easily accessible destination every day. Japan is already here, just a click away, but barely a few millimetres deep. How then could we ever truly understand a utopia which today is expressed so impalpably? In a time like that in which we live, where every form of transcendence is easily lost, fear and worries of loss have no geographical boundaries or established goals and TABI’s poetic journey offers something that goes beyond everyone’s lives, transporting us to a higher place than the real world. TOM PORTA possesses a strange and surprising power through which he can lead us from a highly personal point to shared and universal emotions.

TABI is a journey towards a truly beloved Japan, never really let go of, a perhaps unresolved journey, made up of images and profound suggestions which, involving the imagination of an entire generation as well as the artist’s lived experience, have the strength to give the viewer a sense of belonging. TABI is an irrevocable drive and a tangible desire, it is the luggage of an artist, TOM PORTA, prisoner soul, who holds so many things close and who, having left for a distant land, perhaps never really returned from it.

TOM PORTA will be present at the Opening reception on Saturday, September 30 at 11 am at the main Gallery in Viale Sant’Antonio 59/61 Varese (Casbeno). We also inform you that the Gallery will be open on Sunday, October 1 from 3 to 6 pm.

The exhibition will be open until Saturday, October 28, 2023. 

A selection of previously unexhibited works of different sizes will be on display. A BILINGUAL CATALOGUE, with critical text, reproduction of the exhibited works and a STUDIO VISIT will be created by PUNTO SULL’ARTE.