Mímese

In the series Mímese, the pictorial surface is divided into a grid and then filled with small brushstrokes of pure color that overlap geometric forms, bringing forth a very particular texture that immediately recalls cross-stitch templates. Unlike the embroidery process, the painting is not preceded by systematic planning of the final composition; the arrangements are organized instinctively and non-arbitrarily, following the artist’s internal order in tonal organization, which ensures the inter-individuality of the colors.

In his 1965 text for the first exhibition dedicated to kinetic art, The Responsive Eye, at Museum of Modern Art, William Seitz states that “the eye needs only a minimal cue to link an abstract form to an association with an actual object.” In this sense, the works in the Mímese series by Fabiana Preti suggest the character of something that presents itself as camouflage or as concupiscent display, as described in the biological sciences. Desire, after all, is mimetic, as proposed by René Girard.

Gabriel Babolim