“Quando un'anima nasce in questo paese le vengono gettate delle reti per impedire che fugga. Tu mi parli di religione, lingua e nazionalità: io cercherò di fuggire da quelle reti. “
“When the soul is born… it has a slow and dark birth, more mysterious than the birth of the body. When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to me of nationality, language, religion. I shall try to fly by those nets.”
James Joyce’s words in “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” inspired the title of this exhibit for they encapsulate the character of Tom DiSalvo. The works in “Al di là delle reti / Beyond the nets” are a small representation of over 310 canvases painted throughout the artist’s career. Many of them measure 7X9 feet, a characteristic to keep in mind while appreciating the details in this virtual format. Several works interlace images and text and beg to be read aloud. Indulge them; and indulge yourself revisiting them for a unique encounter each time.
Pre-Covid I looked forward to regularly engaging with the canvases displayed on my campus. They invariably triggered self-reflection. I am honored to share those and others, along with oral histories, commentaries, and personal artifacts that celebrate the passion and talent of Tom DiSalvo. I hope that your own journey through these works leads you on an alluring and unremitting path.
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