Usually, when you interview an artist, all they want to do is talk about their work and themselves. Well, that’s not the case for Bruno Pagliano –a self-taught painter and sculptor from Rosario, Argentina, the city that birthed Leonel Messi and Fito Páez– and his new exhibit “De amor y dolor.”
Bruno Pagliano wants us all to know that “De amor y dolor” (From Love and Pain) –the exhibition of his work in the Argentine Consulate in New York City– would not have been possible without Dalia Forman, his representative in the Big Apple, who handled the organization and logistics behind it all. Also, that Noelia Dutrey –the Cultural Attaché for the Consulate– was in charge of the curation for the exhibit, with the help of Claudio Rodríguez –Dutrey’s General Secretary. Bruno also dedicates special thanks to his son Juan Pagliano Mardoni, his most significant source of love and inspiration for his work.
Bruno Pagliano: De Amor Y Dolor
When: April 8 – 30, 2024
Mon – Fri, 10 am – 12:30 pm & 2 pm – 4:30 pm
Where: Consulate General of Argentina
12 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Opening Night: April 5, 2024 at 6 pm EST
Why is it so important for you to highlight the people you work with?
I appreciate you taking this into account about me. I operate like this in life; I don’t have an ego issue. To me, life is done as a team, sharing, not competing. So, opening the path one walks through and sharing it with people becomes simpler and more joyful because you work with others. It’s together, life is together.
What inspired you about the Argentine Consulate gallery in New York?
I’ve been touring for several years now. I’m not conditioned by it. I work a lot with my emotions, I do something with my sensations, I find the emotion and then I release the stroke. Always with the heart ahead, working with love and pain, which are fundamental paths that human and animal species traverse in life. Always from pain to love, which is the title of the exhibition. I like to share life as a team to also alleviate fears and pains. Dialoguing with the other person, listening. That’s how life becomes simpler. Sometimes life seems to get easier by sharing.
"I find the emotion and then I release the stroke. Always with the heart ahead, working with love and pain, which are fundamental paths that human and animal species traverse in life."
Were any pieces created exclusively for this exhibition?
They’re all exclusive to this exhibition.
What does it mean to you as an Argentine to exhibit your work at the gallery of the Argentine Consulate in New York City?
It means several things. One is to pave the way for those who come after me, not because they are less important, but also to make their work easier. Also, to meet compatriots here, being so far from my home, my homeland. However, I don’t have a flag. I can exhibit anywhere. I’m going to exhibit in Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome. Art has no flags. No flag guides me, I don’t go for a flag, only that of love.
What inspired you to do this exhibition?
I was a street kid, as they say in Argentina. Being in New York was unthinkable for everyone. It’s one of the things that I know can be developed from a dream, you can decree a path and materialize it. The seed of this exhibition is that emotion plus a lot of patience and work. Despite the political situation in Argentina that we’ve been experiencing for years, it’s possible to live and walk through life the way we dream. With a lot of work, a lot of work.
What do you imagine is the ideal habitat for these pieces of art?
In terms of imagination and my work, this always leaves me a lesson. The work that is chosen by a person, a company, or a brand always goes to the right place. I don’t believe in mistakes. So, if it’s in a house, a company, an office, a public space, or wherever, it’s for whoever needs it at that moment.
What does color mean in this exhibition, what value do you give to it?
Color has a different vibration, colors are vibrations. Some people don’t see the same colors that others see. For example, my son sees certain colors differently. That’s labeled as Color Blindness, which is a symptom. When one doesn’t fit into society, they immediately put a label on you with a tag and a structure. I respect what they call colorblind. Each color manifests an emotion. I want to make love out of pain and transmit joy if pain crosses us. There’s a word, a color, a song, a piece of music that can make this journey. It’s an invitation to know that behind fear and pain, there’s a big door that will illuminate and accompany us.
What emotions do you hope people will feel when they see your work?
Love, possibility, and beauty. As a great wise man once said, for me, beauty is the absence of evil. If people take that with them, I can happily return to my city, my country.
What is your favorite piece from this exhibition?
The one with the heart, a very large heart in a two-meter by one-and-a-half-meter canvas. That piece was the first one I made when I received the news that I was given space in the gallery in New York. It’s to remind New Yorkers and people in transit not to forget about the heart. Feelings come first, above all.
What comes next for you after this exhibition?
On Saturday, I’ll be in Brickell, Miami, painting with Los Palmeras –a super well-known musical band in Argentina. They’re doing their first tour in the United States and are backing up my opening. I’ll be live painting at La Scala de Miami —a very famous theater in Brickell— on stage, painting two giant canvases while they play cumbia. On May 15th, I’m opening the exhibition at the Argentine Consulate in Barcelona, and in June at the Consulate in Madrid.
So, where will you allow Bruno Pagliano to delight you with his paintings, will it be in New York City, Miami, Madrid, or Barcelona?
Bruno Pagliano: De Amor Y Dolor
When: April 8 – 30, 2024
Mon – Fri, 10 am – 12:30 pm & 2 pm – 4:30 pm
Where: Consulate General of Argentina
12 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
Opening Night: April 5, 2024 at 6 pm EST
UART is a platform conceived by Helen and Andi Verdi, built for Ukrainian artists and art lovers. It comprises offline exhibitions, a virtual gallery, a web store, and an NFT market. War and peace, life and death, beauty and monstrosity, past and future, faith and hope — those are the topics the contemporary authors capture in their works. But more than that, UART supports the growth of Ukrainian artists. Ukrainian art epitomizes strong-minded people, tradition, and identity. It also depicts a renaissance in the Ukrainian people’s talent and worldview. By sharing these intimate reflections, UART seeks to rejuvenate and enlighten a war-tired world.