May 8th – June 7th, 2025
Opening: Thursday May 8th from 18
El Gato Chimney
In the Shadow of the Giant Frog
curated by Ivan Quaroni
Antonio Colombo’s gallery presents In the Shadow of the Giant Frog, El Gato Chimneysolo show, curated by Ivan Quaroni. The exhibition – the fifth of the artist in the Milanese gallery on via Solferino – opens on Thursday, May 8th 2025, further strengthening a long-standng collaboration.
The title of the exhibition, In the Shadow of the Giant Frog, alludes to some subjects depicted in the large ink-on-paper works, which represent the most recent outcome of the artist’s production – long characterized by a distinct focus on the magical and spiritual aspects of different cultures. This anthropological approach has led the artist, over time to shape a sort of Warburgian Atlas of images, drawing from the symbols and myths of diverse peoples across the globe. The new works, both monumental and theatrical, are exectued in china ink on paper with a style that recalls a blend of sumi-e – the Japanese traditional ink painting – and shodo – the ancient art of calligraphy – while remaining distinct from both.
«This show is an important stage in my researches on folklore and popular beliefs» the artist explains. In particular, his new works reinterpret some Japanese traditional iconographies, adapting them to themes that reflect urgent contemporary collective anxieties – from control and surveillance policies implemented across the web, to concerns over the environmental damages caused by fast fashion, to the ongoing consequences of climate change.
El Gato Chimney addresses these themes through a language that draws as much from the legends and folk myths of the Land of the Rising Sun as it does – inevitably – from the legacy of Western fantastical art, from Medieval Books of Hours to Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. This is especially evident in his “colored” works, partly derived from his earlier drawings on Moleskine and executed on horizontal sheets that recall the format of emakimono – narrative picture scrolls popular in the Japanese archipelago between the 11th and the 16th centuries. Here, the artist arranges a plethora of extravagant and enigmatic figures: the so-called Yōkai, supernatural shapeshifting creatures who, accoridng to folk tales, roam the city streets on summer nights, parading in a long and grotesque processions.
Alongside these magical creatures, we encounter the typical zoomorphic characters that define El Gato Chimney’s painting – a collection of hybrid beings, miniature quadrupedes with the features of monkeys, hares, frogs, foxes or birds, engaged in a titanic struggle against colossal predators, allegories of the anxieties and concerns of our time.
El Gato Chimney (Marco Campori) was born in Milan 1981, where he currently lives and works. A self-taught artist, he first ventured into the world of street art within the Milanese hip-hop scene, before embarking on a path of in-depth exploration and studio research focused on themes related to primitive and sacred art, esotericism, spiritualism, folklore and magical realism in literature. Through a contemporary lens, El Gato Chimney processes these influences into works rich in symbolism and surreal suggestions, where the boundary between the real and the imaginary dissolves. His visual universe is populated by anthropomorphic animals, often adorned wirh masks and ceremonial attire inspired by European, Oceanic and Eastern traditions. These characters not only embody vices and virtues but also serve as guardians of hidden meanings, inviting the viewer to engage in careful observation and interpretation.
His works evoke a strong spirituality, presented in a painting style full of intricate details and vibrant colors. He has exhibited in galleries and museums in Italy and abroad, receiving international reecognition. Among the publications dedicated to his work there are Nothing Is Real (Silvana Editore, 2016), The Encyclopedia Of Fernal Affairs (France, 2015) e Hunt And Gather (Mark Batty Publisher, U.S., 2010).
