Reimpressions
Renata Pelegrini Solo Exhibition
The reimpression of the book titled TENTACULAR is the starting point for the collection of works presented here – some from the original publication and others previously unseen, showcasing Renata Pelegrini’s most recent work. TENTACULAR invites the viewer to co-create the book, with the freedom to reposition the pages and compose new configurations and dialogues between the works. Cooperation and care have been themes of constant interest in the artist’s poetic research, particularly between human and more-than-human beings.
Impression is the trace left by the ink when an orchid root meets the paper. The gesture, the care, and a way of being in the world are imprinted: the cooperative relationship between the artist and her collection of orchid roots. The root is the brush, but it is not merely a tool; it is a co-creating agent of the image. The particular interest in this specific part of epiphytic plants stems from the way they relate to their hosts, carefully supporting and cooperating without becoming parasites. They teach, perhaps, other possible ways for humans to relate to the Earth.
Impression is the decal of the floor and objects that Pelegrini marks on the ceramics as if collecting times, in the search to unite and speak of things that are and things that are not. They are traces of memory, of care, and of feminine relationships that cross generations. It is in this entanglement of the ceramics in contact with diverse objects that the wool yarns gain masks. And the brushes are symbolically put to sleep, exactly when ceramics began to flourish in the artist’s journey.
3D printing is the most recent medium in Pelegrini’s research; a type of technology that has allowed the transformation of ceramic pieces into a multiple and interactive series. The LISTENERS seem to come from shells, from folds, from gesture. They seek to listen and tell stories. LISTENERS operate sometimes as sculpture, sometimes as relational objects, and can be an invitation to share memories, experience the present moment, and listen to the surrounding sounds.
Impression is a feeling of wonder that drives Renata in the creation of ATTACCATI. The nature that impresses the artist takes shape in the painting, in a simultaneity between expressive force and the subtle fragmentation – perhaps nature is indeed at risk of disappearing if it does not receive due care. The search for union with medical bandages is a delicate gesture applied by the artist.
Impression is the first perception we have of something. Always inspired by the same driving force, Renata moves naturally between media, in pendulum-like movements of constant return to what she has already done, feeding what is to come. Would reimpression then be a second chance to perceive subtleties that are not always revealed at first glance?
Marina Frúgoli
October 2025