Dreamscape — Lode Coen

“Dreamscape”, a solo exhibition by Lode Coen, opened on Saturday 8 November at 5:30 p.m. at Borgo Pio Art Gallery, Via degli Ombrellari 2, Rome. The exhibition was curated by art critic Monica Ferrarini.

Lode Coen draws on Renaissance, Classical and Surrealist traditions while making explicit reference to Eastern art, Chinese prints and calligraphy. Each work evokes masters of the past through its staging, poses, landscapes and treatment of light. Light is central to the dreamlike, mysterious and at times mystical atmosphere that permeates his work.

Coen combines digital and analogue techniques with confidence and precision, producing eclectic images filled with hidden meanings. His meticulous process begins with a detail that is repeatedly revisited, transformed and joined to others until it yields an unexpected result of strong visual and emotional impact.

There is a distinctly theatrical quality to his work. The viewer encounters magnificent tableaux and is invited into a surreal world of vision and seduction. These sumptuous scenes are rich in ideas, props, ornament and details to decode, all unified by a masterful use of light that creates an atmosphere of enchantment.