AGAINST INTERPRETATION

 Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art
Susan Sontag

Plain Gallery is pleased to announce “Against Interpretation” featuring works by Luca Ceccherini, Shuang Jiang, Stanislav Zábrodský, Xinyan Zhang.
Their works, although diagonal by definition, have an important component: a connection between nature and the artist's inner world.

Interpretation in art involves the process of explaining or assigning meaning to a work. This process is multifaceted and can vary greatly depending on the perspective, background and experiences of the viewer. Viewers bring their own emotions, memories and experiences into their understanding of a piece. What one person sees and feels may be completely different from the perspective of another. This subjectivity is a fundamental aspect of how art is appreciated and understood.

Understanding the context in which a work of art was created is crucial. This includes historical, cultural, social and political contexts. Knowing the artist's background, the era and circumstances in which the work was produced can significantly influence interpretation.

In line with Susan Sontag's ideas in her famous essay ‘Against Interpretation’ (1966), our task is not to find the maximum amount of content in a work of art, nor to squeeze more content out of the work than there already is. Our task is to reduce the content so that we can see everything.

What is needed, first and foremost, is more attention to form in art. If an overemphasis on content causes the arrogance of interpretation, more extensive and in-depth descriptions of form would silence it. What is needed is a vocabulary - a descriptive, rather than prescriptive vocabulary - for form.

This exhibition is an encouragement to explore and appreciate art not only through the meaning we attach to it, but also through its pure form and its ability to connect us emotionally and intellectually.

Luca Ceccherini (b. 1993, Italy)  is an Italian artist, born in Arezzo and currently based in Turin. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. Recent exhibitions: Shadows of memory, Hew Hood Gallery (London, 2024); Haunted garden, The Artist Room (London, 2024) Money and fear, Spazio Mensa (Rome, 2023); Through the fruits of Eden, Boscolo Hotel (Lyon, 2023); The hour of the wolf, Sottofondostudio (Arezzo, 2023); The grass on the dust, Ma Project (Perugia, 2023); Afterwork#2, Société Interludio (Turin, 2022); Golden Hours, Royal Library (Turin, 2022); 6 Painters, Casa Casorati (Turin, 2021). In 2024 he was resident at Palazzo Monti, Brescia.

Shuang Jiang (b. 1999, China) received her BFA at Academy of Fine Arts in Xi’an in 2022 and she is currently following the study at Royal College of Art in London. Lives and works in London.

Stanislav Zábrodský (b. 1996, Czech Republic) studied in the Intermedia studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and in the Sculpture studio of Indonesian ISI Yogyakarta. In his current artistic practice, he focuses on working with composite materials, which he uses as synthetic simulations of time-spanning geological processes. Objects with this perspective represent a shift in time and attempt to awaken the awareness that we live in future geological layers and formations.

Xinyan Zhang (b.1991, China) is a Chinese artist based in Berlin, moved to Germany in 2018. She received her BFA from Shenzhen University (2014) and her MFA from Guangzhou Unversity (2018), She also studied at Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe in Germany (2019-2021) and Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Italy (2017). Recent exhibitions including; De Sarthe Gallery, Hong Kong (2023); The Women Museum Bonn , Germany (2022); Bauschaustelle Düsseldorf e.V , Düsseldorf (2022 ); the Radius Gallery, Xi’an (2021).