Catalizzatore | Evidence of their existence
TIZIANO MARTINI
MARJOLIJN DE WITT

OTTO ZOO introduces its 2014 program with two exhibitions: Catalizzatore (Catalyst), Tiziano Martini’s first solo-show at the gallery, and Evidence of their existence, an installation by Marjolijn De Wit, a Dutch artist presenting her second project at OTTO ZOO.

Following the performative inclination of Tiziano Martini’s painting, Catalizzatore (Catalyst) is a result of the artist’s intervention on the spacious walls of the gallery, using mortar, tempera and acrylic; from there, the artist moves to canvas, wood panels and sculptures, mixing gypsum and waste materials from his previous works. Martini considers himself a catalyst – the substance that activates and hastens a reaction in a chemical process. With his work, Martini intervenes and modifies the reaction, which he participates in; he can even shape an alternative layout, as well as speeding up the stages of the process. He is the instrument and at the same time the object of the artistic action.
Martini’s work is an on-going reflection on the possibilities of painting. He initiates a dialogue with the surface of the canvas and with the materials he employs. Intuitive and accidental, his painting is developed through individual performance. The results are always different and unexpected.

Evidence of their existence is a series of works that Marjolijn De Wit developed during her residency at the EKWC (European Ceramic Work Center, ‘s-Hertogenbosch) in the Netherlands. The series, which includes ceramic collages and sculptures, focuses on the relationship between three-dimensional and twodimensional perception. The result is a documented situation where abstract and visual components acquire narrative characteristics and cross a perceived border between culture and nature.
The central theme in Marjolijn De Wit’s work is the impact of man’s activity on nature and on the environment. Her work is approached through classic processes, such as painting, sculpture, drawing and collage.

Tiziano Martini (Soltau, Germany, 1983) lives between Belluno, Italy and Leipzig, Germany. In 2011 he participated in the LIA (Leipzig International Art program) in Germany. In 2012 he participated in CARS (Cusio Artist Residency Space) at Omegna (VB, Italy). Martini had solo shows at Galerie Potemka, Liepzig, and Studio D’arte Cannaviello, Milan and in MARS, a non-profit artist space, in Milan. His works have been included into group shows at Galleria d’Arte Comunale, Monfalcone (Gorizia, Italy), at Domiti Contemporanee (Belluno, Italy) and at Anne 10, State Institute of Culture, Sofia (Bulgary).

Marjolijn De Wit (Bennekom, The Netherlands, 1979; lives in Amsterdam) has taken part in prestigious residency programs in Europe at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam, the LIA (Leipzig International Art program) in Germany and the EKWC (European Ceramic Workcenter) in s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. She has had solo shows at OTTO ZOO in Milan, the Galerie Willy Schoots in Eindhoven, and has taken part in numx\erous group shows in museums and galleries throughout Europe. In 2007 she received the Dutch Royal Award for Painting and in 2013 she won the New York Pulse Prize.

→ artist’s page – Marjolijn De Wit

→ artist’s page – Tiziano Martini