Catania between folklore, Pop Art and film history

Tradition and modernity, folklore and Pop Art, painting and cinema: Umberto Gagliano’s exhibition “Pop Art & Comics” brings together seemingly distant worlds, with a surprising balance.

A representative of what is now called “Neo Pop” art, Umberto Gagliano turns onto canvas the memories of his childhood in a Catania that is alive, colourful and folkloric, painted in full Marvel style. And it is precisely in the streets of the city celebrating the festivities of Saint Agatha that figures from the history of Italian cinema come back to life, who between the 1950s and 1970s shot very famous films in Catania: from Marcello Mastroianni to Gina Lollobrigida to Alberto Sordi.

But not only. Gagliano also brings back into the streets of the festive city many of Catania’s historical and characteristic figures. And so there is an Andrea Camilleri next to the devotees, with the Patron Saint behind him; or a Vitaliano Brancati, Vincenzo Bellini, Angelo Musco, Leonardo Sciascia.

“All the colour that lives in my memories to this day, and that I have held on to throughout all my past years, sums up (in acrylic) on canvas Catania and its Saint in this solo painting exhibition of mine. (Gagliano explains) I thought of giving back to my city and its festival everything it has given me and continues to give me”.

What do I think?

A decidedly unusual combination but of high artistic value: Pop Art (popular art) and folklore (folk = people, lore = knowledge): apparently distant, but both closely tied to the people. Just like cinema itself, an art form and a source of popular entertainment. I find these connections brilliant and fascinating. Umberto Gagliano, a Catanian artist, is therefore certainly one of the contemporary figures of real stature, able to bring and make known here and above all elsewhere the beauties of our land in a modern key, one that ties in our traditions.

When and where?

The exhibition, opened on 18 August 2022, will be open at the GAM (Galleria di Arte Moderna) in Catania (Via Castello Ursino 32) until 27 August 2022; open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 19:00 (excluding public holidays).