Draw!
It's my POP ART way
to love life ...
It all begins in August of the year 1977,
I'm seven years old,
my father picks up the newspaper at the newsstand,
as he does every morning and sees among the comics
"SPIDER-MAN".
He asks me: "do you want it?", I say yes...
I wish I had never done it!
From 3rd to 6th April 2025
PIER 36 - Manhattan
299 South Street, New York NY 10002
USA
Digital exhibition of artworks
"WOW!...Candelora is AMAZING!"
"Aperitif in Monza"
"Amazement in Ravenna"
«...The visitor, however, instead of abandoning himself, through the pencils of John Romita Sr, Jack Kirby or John Buscema, to the reality of the Marvel comics of the 60s, sees the reverse process taking place where the faces of the characters from the comics of that time reappear in the folklore and settings of Catania of a period which is that of my childhood»
Exhibition "Viva Sant'Agata - Catania in Pop Art"
Palace of Culture - Catania (2018)
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«...The works recall the period between 1950 and 1970 «because - Gagliano explained - that's how Catania revealed itself to me when I was born there, overflowing with music, poetry, cinema and pop art. In the 70s, excluding a few black and white TVs, everything else was in color, like Polaroid photos and American superhero comics».
Sicilian Journal (2018)
"...An unpublished Catania, painted «as if we had browsed through the superhero comics in the 60s or at the beginning of the
'70»
explains the Etna artist, author of acrylics on canvas, even large ones, in which he portrays picturesque views of the city's architecture."
Ornella Sgroi - Corriere della Sera (2019)
____________
"...His works explode with bright colors like fireworks, which he represents with latex-based colors that give the work an almost print-like effect."
Exibart (2019)
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"...Interpreter of the Neo pop genre, he tests his versatility in painting and captures the emergence of an individualistic artist's forge. Thus, he projects himself into new visions to forge unusual contributions to the territory, as already revealed with Sant'Agata and the city of Catania..."
Luisa Trovato - The Voice of the Ionian (2022)
«...In parallel to "WS Agata", Gagliano's project "Made in Italy" pays homage to the Italy of the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s. This series reflects on the brands, excellence, fashion and design that define the "Belpaese" and represent an enviable Italian style appreciated throughout the world. Gagliano interweaves elements of his childhood nostalgia, fashion, television and design in works characterized by a distinct pop art aesthetic reminiscent of the era».
"...the works contextualize iconic Marvel characters in famous Italian locations such as the mosaics of Ravenna, the Duomo of Monza and the Basilica Collegiata of Catania. The artist also celebrates typically Italian cultural phenomena, including pizza, the Venice Carnival and the rebirth of Alitalia in 1969. Through these works, Gagliano captures the essence of a country in rebirth, evoking memories and emotions linked to his formative years"
Joanna Longawa - JL Interviews Magazine (2025)
