Ocean 4.0


15 March 2019

If fish are a symbol of fertility, in virtue of the sheer number of eggs they are capable of laying, then the ocean is, hyperbolically and figuratively, a metaphor of remarkable abundance. Thus, Monica De Mattei tackles the concept of immensity in this collection, the infinite vastness of her creativity, by means of a strong contrast: the insertion of figurative monochromatic shapes in a geometrically abstract and multicoloured context. Compared to works from the series “L’Acquario Infinito”(The Infinite Aquarium), what we see here is an overturning of planes which shifts our attention away from the fish and towards the ocean. Black fish silhouettes are figurative elements, apparently the subject of depictions and, despite being fantastically stylised, in reality present themselves as recognisable forms, ascribable to the sphere of reality. These images stand out against a background from another dimension and live inside an abstract world which despite its geometry, is made up of curves and sinuous elements which confer additional vibrancy upon colours.The contrast between the colourful volutes of the aqueous mantle, with spirals which move to create curls of light, and the depth of the smooth blackness of fishes leads onto a dimension of abundance, of limitless multitude, a concept which is perfectly mirrored in the collection’s title, a dynamic and contemporary ocean: “Oceano 4.0”.