Sabatino Cersosimo
Sabatino Cersosimo was born in Turin in 1974. He lives and works in Berlin.
Cersosimo initially studied advertising and design and then subsequently received a degree in Decoration and Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Turin in 1999.
Cersosimo’s principal technique is painting with oil on steel onto which he oxidizes parts of the surface. After working many years with this method, he is able to “create” the oxidation where he wants as well as to prevent it from developing further over time. In order to preserve the painting, he applies varnishes and wax. These techniques allow him to reflect on the topics of time, will and chance…between control and unpredictability.
The resulting effect of these techniques becomes, as the artist says, “an inverse fresco”. As with many frescoes, his figures appear fragmented and ephemeral. However, instead of frescoes where time may have worn away details, Cersosimo’s paintings leave suggestions about something that might have been but in fact never was.
The figurative subjects in Cersosimo’s paintings are inspired by many sources. Often they are the defeated or anti-heroes struggling with doubt yet with the hope of something more. They may be characters lifted from literature or film. Some are more direct and come from the artist’s personal experiences and perceptions. Recently, after viewing coverage of refugees in search of a better existence, he created a series of tightly framed images portraying the emotions of their faces.
Cersosimo has participated in numerous exhibitions including a solo exhibition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. His paintings are held in various collections worldwide.
