Music, Symbols and Metaphors – An Exhibit by Elena Di Cesare

Last Thursday, I attended the opening party of an art exhibit by an Italian-Australian artist, Elena Di Cesare (aka Archibaldi) at Contesta Rock Hair in Rione Monti. Elena is a close friend and incredibly inspiring and talented artist. I have been privy to watching her pieces evolve over the past 4 years from sketches of emperors, warriors and the empress to expressive and evocative prints.

Her basic concept, influenced by the writings of Sufi master, Hazrat Inayat Khan, is that true art is created when an artist connects with the divine through her work, achieving beauty that only can emerge when an artist forgets herself in the vision of a universal whole. Elena explains how dots/points are the source of everything created by nature and that the dot is the elemental essence of all that we want to represent and communicate, especially in the field of art.

Many friends and fans attended the event. The most discussed pieces of the night were “Guerriero” and “Giovane Guerriero”. My personal favorites are “Guerriero” and “The Empress”. In “The Empress”, her head is tilted subtly back and her gaze is directed toward the night sky. Her body is decorated with tattoos. She is fearless; she is beauty; she is enlightened.

The exhibit is on display at Contesta Rock Hair until the December 5.