HENRIK PLACHT BEY ARMUDO

17 August  - 20 September 2024

SARP presents Henrik Placht's Bey Armudu, a novel exhibition named after the Turkish word for "Bergamot", which refers to both the fruit and the plant. This title is inspired by one of the many plants found in the gardens of Palazzo Previtera, a location the artist lived during his
residency in Linguaglossa. The beauty and essence of these gardens as well as the volcanic landscape of Etna provided a rich source of inspiration for Placht's work. The exhibition features rugs, watercolours and paintings created in Sicily. The result of his art residency is a visceral flow of colours, forms and marks, which manifest the artist’s highly gestural technique. Henirk Placht created woollen carpets in collaboration with Innvik, a Norgewien textile factory with a long experience in woollen textiles' manufacturing process.

Traditional techniques are combined with Placht’s artistic code to explore the expressive power of textiles as media. Silver and copper threads are weaved together with wool, reminiscent of the Venetian centuries-old tradition of tessitura auroserica. Going beyond this notion of materiality, the interplay of light and movements of the silver and copper threads reveal the social struggle of the craftsmanship process of these rugs. They show the struggle among the weavers and the allure of the resourceful entrepreneurs in dealing with luxury goods. His watercolours are born from his innate intuitions and his encounters with the landscape. They depict the idyllic experience of painting in an old Etna vineyard, born from his interaction with Belgian wine producer Frank Cornelissen at a local restaurant. 
The artist depicted a conceptual vision of nature with rapid, spontaneous, clear and crawled brush strokes. He shapes the essence of a place and depicts it on a large canvas. He works with fluctuating convergence of colour blocks and clear lines, reminiscent of Placht’s earlier geometric abstract paintings. The artist creates dystopian places where moving lines and intuitive shapes reside. Multiple layers of paint transport to the canvas the artist’s collected experiences, which are framed in white borders to emphasise the painting's conceptual journey.
To conclude, Henrik Placht’s residency in Linguaglossa was a period marked by deep reflection and research. This time was punctuated by numerous walks through the vineyards and the rolling hills surrounding Linguaglossa, allowing him to connect with the landscape and draw inspiration from the natural beauty of the region. The exhibition followed at Fondazione Made in Cloister in Naples.

Partners of the project:
Palazzo Previtera
The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Rome
Innvik Textiles
Kwadrat
Frank Cornelissen
Fondazione Made in Cloisters