Marilina Marchica

Marilina Marchica is a draftswoman who has exhibited in Italy consistently as well as participated in an exhibition in Berlin. Since 2014 she has been featured in 10 solo exhibitions to date in...

Marilina Marchica is a draftswoman who has exhibited in Italy consistently as well as participated in an exhibition in Berlin. Since 2014 she has been featured in 10 solo exhibitions to date in venues such as Fam Gallery in Agrigento, Sicily, and Contemporary Casa Bramante in Syracuse, Sicily. Notable awards include double recognition of the Combat Prize and the Fam Young Prize for Visual Arts. Marilina has participated in a residency at Villa Aurea at the Valley of the Temples in Sicily and publications include various features in exhibition catalogues and interviews by independent publishers, such as a studio visit feature regarding the Venice Biennale by Exibart magazine. Marilina has been published in a critical essay by Cristina Costanzo. 

The series of mixed media drawings which mostly incorporate charcoal, graphite, and other materials such as mineral oxide are referred to as Landscapes Sign Traces. These studies in texture may appear to the viewer as smears of fog or even a sfumato. A few of the pieces contain asymmetrical patterns but for the most part a vast majority of the work reflects abstracted surfaces which may resemble molten rock or dark liquids. 

A key component to the works remains the selective use of vast portions of negative space which give off the feeling of isolation and a melancholy aesthetic. These detailed yet minimalistic drawings offer a sense of fragmentation and memory. Sometimes resembling earth, molten rock, or fibered tapestry, the drawings convey relationships between textural illusions and illusory form. There remains a rich aesthetic representing scratchy surfaces which are smoothed out and applied with breaks of white smears and subtractions. The marked impression leaves a sense of unified expression towards the viewer’s gaze. 

Family Home Fragment (pictured above) remains a drawing executed with graphite on cotton. With such rich textural appearances , Marilina draws asymmetrical patterns similar to the design of a rug but in a non-decorative manner. Containing both smears and dot-like applications, the outline comes off like an aged memory with a surface resembling the effects of the wear and tear of erosion. 

Marilina Marchica creates deeply mysterious works which reflect on the rhythm, fragments, and memory of space and illusion. Although the work may be difficult to interpret or understand, the best approach towards Marilina’s drawings would be to appreciate the minimalist tendencies of negative space and the variation of illusory texture. Conveying a sense of subtracted structures, these symbolized standards are meant as a sign to reflect on a metaphor representing relationships between man, nature, and time. Marilina can be described as a gifted visionary who offers insight into direct philosophical applications in contemporary fine art.

Artist website: https://www.marilinamarchica.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilina-marchica-4ba1b333

Saatchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/MarilinaMarchica

Singulart: https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/marilina-marchica-1685