Gabriele Cappelli, the artist who brought a new exhibition format to London
HE HAS BEEN ABLE TO TRANSFORM HIS STUDIO INTO A GALLERY THAT HOSTS OTHER GALLERIES AND THEIR ARTISTS, IN THE SETTING OF INFORMAL ITALIAN DINNERS. HE IS GABRIELE CAPPELLI AND ALL THIS HAPPENS IN LONDON, IN ONE OF THE MOST ARTSY AREAS OF THE CITY
Gabriele Cappelli (Forlì, 1972), after studying economics and commerce, moved to London in 1997, the year in which Labour came to power with Tony Blair, and in which Sensation was inaugurated at the Royal Academy, the exhibition which launched the Young British Artists in the international scene. Cappelli began to paint in those years and, through a profound research dedicated to colour, brings to the canvas the shades of Italian walls, created by man and then modified by time, and the colours of the backgrounds of Renaissance paintings, giving life to a very personal pictorial style that is appreciated in the English capital. After a few years he began working with Cadogan Gallery, a solid collaboration that still lasts, in fact he will inaugurate the solo exhibition in the London gallery on June 16th.
GABRIELE CAPPELLI IN LONDON
In 2001 Cappelli decided to make an important investment by buying an apartment in a strategic area, at number 55 Queen's Gardens, between Bayswater and Notting Hill, with a large window overlooking the street. Over the years the economic boom has led to the success of art fairs, an increase in the number of contemporary art collectors and has prompted the most important art galleries to concentrate exclusively in the central area of Mayfair. One thing - says Cappelli - that has always amazed him is that in London collectors and aficionados do not crave to go to the opening of exhibitions, as happens for example in Italy, there is no desire to see the works in preview, there is rather a certain confidentiality. Furthermore, collectors tend not to be recognisable, and to buy the works privately.
THE STUDIO-GALLERY OF GABRIELE CAPPELLI
In the light of these considerations and the changes that from the end of the Nineties onwards created a new artistic environment in London, in 2015 Cappelli decided to transform that apartment into a special place, a hybrid space: personal work studio, but also private gallery, or rather a place to host exhibitions by other artists in the presence of their galleries, combined with Italian dinners (Cappelli is also an excellent cook), considering that many collectors, who receive constant invitations to all the inaugurations they struggle to go to, live in that area and gladly accept an informal invitation to a typical Italian dinner. The first collaboration begins with the Arcade gallery in London, the dinner with more people ‒ 35 ‒ is from 2019 with the Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca, while works by Vivian Caccuri hung on the walls of the studio ; the latest in chronological order with Blank project exhibiting the works of Igshaan Adams. Many nights take place in Frieze week and it all works by word of mouth. Also interesting is the collaboration with Hollybush Garden, an event which was attended by the artist Lubaina Himid , winner of the Turner Prize and currently on display at the Tate Modern. The Italian galleries that exhibited in this space were the Bolognese P420 with Alessandra Spranzi and the Roman Z20 with Ekaterina Panikanova. In general, the space is a completely new idea, which frees the artist from considering his studio a personal and private environment and, in a lively and informal way, puts him in communication with other artists, gallery owners, collectors and curators, creating a small working system, which however does not compete with other artistic realities.
