Michele Ciacciofera: Silence

FROM THE BOOK

"How can one truly dig deeply into a subject and explore its subtleties when the media has already claimed ownership over and caricatured its content? How can one challenge or affect a viewer who has already made concrete decisions about the subject matter? It is rare to find an artist who can surpass these pit falls and create a work that transcends what we already feel that we 'know' about a subject, and instead make us feel and experience it directly, disregarding our preconceived ideas and ideological blinders. After all, isn't that what artists are asked to do for the viewe--to create an experience?
"Ciacciofera has done just that with his latest body of work. He has magically used his bag of tricks to create paintings infused with mystery, power, and profundity. Although the paint seems quickly dashed on, applied in a manner that is in some ways similar to the "flying white" of the brush stroke used in traditional Asian art, or flung at the surface in an almost Pollock-like style, the artist weaves in subtle expressive nuances, as only the masterful watercolorist can achieve, without belaboring or overworking the canvas. Few painters have equaled Ciacciofera in using such skills to render such heart-wrenching images."

Lance M. Fung, excerpted from The Ease and Regret of Indifference in Silence!.