Untitled Art 2024

Giorgio Griffa, Zé Tepedino and Alan Bee

ABC-ARTE’s proposal for Untitled Art 2024 brings together the works of Giorgio Griffa, Zé Tepedino, and Alan Bee, three artists whose practices delve deeply into the essence of materiality and the passage of time, offering viewers a contemplative journey through their unique artistic languages.

Giorgio Griffa, a seminal figure in the Arte Povera movement, simplifies the act of painting to its most elemental gestures. His canvases, often left unstretched and unprimed, capture the raw, unrefined beauty of the materials themselves. Griffa's minimalistic approach, with its delicate lines and subtle color palettes, invites viewers to appreciate the rhythm and process of creation. Each mark is a testament to the moment of its making, emphasizing the transient nature of time within the permanence of paint. His work encourages a meditative reflection on the infinite possibilities within the finite confines of the canvas.

Zé Tepedino, a young Brazilian artist, draws deeply from his native traditions and the vibrant environment of Rio de Janeiro. His practice involves the poetic transformation of everyday materials into profound statements on identity and place. The color blue features prominently in Tepedino’s work, symbolizing both the vastness of the sky and the depth of the ocean, embodying a sense of infinite exploration. Through techniques ranging from sewing to painting, Tepedino creates compositions that dissolve the boundaries between the urban and the natural, the geometric and the organic. His art invites viewers to find beauty in the overlooked and the ephemeral, offering new perspectives on familiar landscapes.

Alan Bee, an enigmatic artist with a profound passion for painting and bees, created works that explore nature, gender equality, and community. His '90s series "Freedom" highlights these themes, using the bees' orderly social life as a metaphor. Influenced by Joseph Beuys and German painters like Emil Schumacher, Bee's art focuses on color and modular hexagonal grids. His travels in Central America in the mid ‘90s, especially Mexico, enriched his work with vibrant, nature-focused creations advocating for environmental protection and social equity. Through materials like honey and natural fibers, Bee's creations symbolize the fragility and resilience of both nature and human relationships, blending his European roots with the rich cultural tapestry of Mexico.

Together, the works of Griffa, Tepedino, and Bee form a rich dialogue on the nature of creation and perception. Griffa’s abstract lines, Tepedino’s textural explorations, and Bee’s organic forms all transcend their mediums to evoke deeper reflections on existence. Their shared emphasis on process and materiality highlights a philosophy that values the journey of creation as much as the final artwork. This project is an invitation to engage deeply with the fundamental elements of art. Through the works of Giorgio Griffa, Zé Tepedino, and Alan Bee, viewers are encouraged to look beyond the surface and appreciate the moments of creation captured in each piece.