Through May 31, 2026

The first time one encounters Barbara Bonfilio’s works, the sensation is that of stepping softly into a refined yet captivating universe, where forms emerge with delicacy and elegance from an indistinct background, like memories surfacing from distant recollections. Almost without realizing it, one finds oneself enchanted by an intimate and profound dimension, by a vision that is certainly the artist’s, yet ultimately becomes our own—a world of signs, colors, and bodies that invites us, without hesitation, to reflect on the complexity of existence and human interiority, and on our relationship with nature.
Barbara Bonfilio grew up in the heart of the Pollino National Park, where nature takes center stage: forests, mountains, the sea on the horizon, and a rich biodiversity of animals, flowers, and plants that have nourished her imagination and memory, later shaping and refining her artistic sensitivity. In this fertile ground, drawing and painting became forms of expression and communication—an intrinsic part of her being, a way of existing and perceiving reality, the language through which she learned to know herself, a necessary practice, a living organism that breathes, grows, and transforms.
Over the years, her artistic research has been enriched by intellectual inspirations, forming a varied emotional paradigm ranging from music to literature, and extending through psychology and philosophy. This has become a constant in her in-depth exploration of the complexity of the unconscious and its connection with the external world, of identity and the human soul.
In the works on display—paintings and drawings—we can perceive the inseparable connection between human beings and their environment, both physical and emotional, expressed powerfully through the representation of the body and nature as reflections of the soul. The skin, with its imperfections, becomes a visual metaphor for lived experience, a kind of map that tells stories and emotions, a gateway between interior and exterior, between the visible and the invisible.
The body is never just a body: it is a personal landscape, a psychic territory, a place of metamorphosis. And then there is nature, with its strength and fragility—a place where healing and transformation can be found, like the idea of the garden, inspired by Hillman’s metaphor of life, which deeply influenced the artist. The garden requires constant care and attention, a panacea for the individual psyche that can also contribute to collective social well-being. The garden is not merely a locus amoenus of beauty, but a complex ecosystem in which every element has a specific role and contribution. And for Barbara Bonfilio, art serves precisely this purpose: to find a way to make sense of the world, to find a place to belong, to share one’s humanity with others.
Painting, in particular, carries with it the fascination of immediacy—the possibility of translating, even impulsively, images that words sometimes fail to express; of creating parallel worlds; of playing with reality and imagination; of evoking atmospheres suspended between dream and wakefulness. The physical contact with color, the materiality of the brushstroke on canvas, is a tactile and visual experience that fully engages the artist. The canvas becomes an invitation to explore, to experiment, to create other worlds—an intimate dialogue between ourselves and the world.
Barbara Bonfilio initially brings her works to life through quick, decisive gestures, relying on instinct and not overly concerned with detail or precision. Gradually, the work transforms. The final result is an authentic expression of her person. This creative act brings us back to the title of the exhibition—that equinox of the soul which, on the occasion of the March 21 opening at the gallery, occurs at the moment when light and shadow are equal: a middle ground that becomes, for the artist, a metaphor for the psyche. It is a journey into a transitional space where light does not erase shadow, but welcomes and transforms it; a territory in which rebirth does not manifest as triumph, but as deep listening. In the artist’s own words:
“The equinox thus becomes… an ordering principle: an invitation to dwell in the moment when everything is possible, when transformation is not yet complete but already underway… an invitation to those who look to pause with me… to perceive the delicacy of change, to recognize the beauty that arises from the encounter between vulnerability and strength. It is an invitation to be reborn, to let oneself be touched by a new light, to rediscover a deeper and more authentic rhythm.”
And that is precisely what happens: we are called by every mark, every brushstroke, each telling a story that is at once unique and universal, connecting us to one another and to what surrounds us. Through painting, Barbara Bonfilio seeks to give voice to silent stories—stories that are also our own. She guides us through her poetics, which are not merely an aesthetic representation but an emotional and intellectual journey, challenging the viewer to look beyond appearances in search of the deepest essence of things.

EMMEOTTO ARTE
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