History, art and alchemy go hand-in-hand in Agostino Arrivabene‘s enigmatic pairings, coming for the first time to New York this March, courtesy of Cara Gallery. “Hierogamy” imaginatively flutters between spiritual delight and earthly misfortune, darkness and light, love and sacrifice – men and women, as one, in sublime union. The vision of the Hermaphrodite looking straight into the soul and speaking for us all. Distancing himself from contemporary trends at first glance, Arrivabene creates paintings aiming to decipher the eternal battles of human angels and demons, in a devoted exploration of the universal and the esoteric. Reaching deep into the ancient treasuries, Renaissance, Symbolism and 19th century American Art, and applying less-practiced techniques such as mischtechnik, he lends his creatures a sacred light seemingly flowing from within. It is the road to transcendence, with destination a divine metamorphosis. Visually striking and profoundly philosophical all at once, this is the art of the cocoon and the luminous … Continue reading Agostino Arrivabene: ‘Hierogamy’ @ Cara Gallery