Monotypes by Giovanni D’Alessandro

The art exhibition "GRAPHIC ROUTES FOR AN ATYPICAL GENESIS" features thirty monotype works by the esteemed Italian artist Giovanni D’Alessandro. The exhibition, an initiative of the AIAL Leros Cultural Association and supported by the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts, is hosted in Kalamata's Creative Documentary Center (6, Koutsomitopoulou str., Kalamata) as part of  (and during) the 11th Peloponnisos International Documentary Festival, forming part of a national tour across 12 Greek exhibition spaces.

The Thematic Concept

The artworks were selected by curator Luisa Maria Leto, following a thematic axis inspired by the Book of Genesis, which is reinterpreted through an atypical visual language. The thirty monotypes compose a unified artistic journey through the Artist's recent creative output, characterized by a distinct harmony of lines and colors.

The Monotype Technique

The monotype technique, dating back to the 17th century, is, by definition, created as a unique copy (mono-type). The process involves treating a flat, hard plate by either "subtraction" of ink (leaving ink only in the printing areas) or by "addition" of color, sometimes with the inclusion of various materials. Due to the pressure applied and the non-reusable matrix, the final result is not strictly predictable, lending each work a unique and original aesthetic.

The Artist: Giovanni D’Alessandro

Born in Palermo in 1958, Giovanni D’Alessandro graduated from the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts. From a young age, he began intensive exhibition activity throughout Europe. His artistic expression tends toward abstract art, influenced by the avant-garde movements of the '70s–'90s. Since 1993, he has held the Chair of Engraving Technique at the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts.

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of the late Riccardo Mazzarino (Palermo, 1957-2024), Professor of Graphic Arts at the Palermo Academy of Fine Arts.  is It is realized with the support of FSC Group Athens and Château Nico Lazaridi of Drama, and under the auspices of the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens, the Sicily Region, and the Municipality of Palermo.

Critical Insights

• Umberto De Paola (Director, Palermo Academy of Fine Arts): "Giovanni D'Alessandro is a master in the art of engraving, capable of transforming tradition into innovation and narrating timeless stories through marks and contrasts, lights and shadows..."
• Luisa Maria Leto (Curator): "He expresses himself with shapes and colors inspired by the energy produced by chaos at the moment of the universe's creation until the final balance, the subtle regulation of the order and movement of the world..."