Lavoro Lavoro Lavoro by Catia Montagna
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Catia's series invites us to transcend the practical use of everyday objects and encourages a deeper exploration of their significance. While we often engage with these items primarily for their utility and exchange value, her work prompts us to recognize the hidden labour and transformation involved in their creation.
These objects serve as a culmination of time and human effort, aspects that can easily be overlooked in our fast-paced lives. By taking a closer look, we can unveil this underlying narrative. Using a macro lens, Catia meticulously examines textiles, revealing the intricate interweaving of their fibres. As she delves deeper, these items transform from mere functional objects into powerful testaments of action—a silent record of the energy and effort invested in their production. The interplay of light filtering through the fabric creates a sense of movement and irregularity within repeated patterns, allowing us to appreciate the complexities of their creation.
Drawing inspiration from the renowned Italian painter Remo Gaibazzi (1915-1994), Catia’s work echoes Gaibazzi's emphasis on the word "lavoro," which means both "work" and "labor" in Italian. Gaibazzi's later paintings reflect this theme, employing innovative techniques, colours, and geometric structures to express the essence of creativity. The abstract forms he created, reminiscent of woven textures, encapsulate the act of creation itself. The word "lavoro" becomes both the source of the pattern and the essence of the artistic message, revealing deeper meanings upon closer inspection. Gaibazzi insightfully noted, “It is in proximity that the reading begins… the reading begins of the movement of proceeding… the movement of development…
The word ‘lavoro’ … means ‘I work’ and, at the same time, it is the noun ‘work’... It is simultaneously the act and the result of the act; it is a verb, therefore movement, and it is also what happens in this movement.” Catia's series resonates powerfully with Gaibazzi’s exploration, using photography to reveal the hidden stories within seemingly ordinary objects. By encouraging viewers to look more closely, she inspires us to appreciate the unseen labour and transformation that breathe life into our daily encounters and into the realm of art itself. To complement her concept, Catia has selected the quote from Gaibazzi and has also chosen to include a second quote by Aristotle: "The aim of art is not to represent the outward appearance of things but their inward significance."
