Chiara castiglione

Castiglione, C. '27' (2024) Acrylic on paper, 29.7 x 42cm

Castiglione, C (2023) Digital reference image

Castiglione, C. (2024) Digital edit

Castiglione, C. '27' (2024) Acrylic on paper, 29.7 x 42cm, Projection overlay.

27 is the door number of my Great Grandparents house that they lived in Sicily throughout their whole lives, it is where my Nonno grew up and where he spent most of his young life. When I went to Sicily in summer, I had taken photos of what the house looks like today. I painted this in its run down and almost abandoned state, like many of the other houses in the town. I then projected the archival image of relatives gathered on the same balcony to complete the top half of the image, illuminating the house with memories of its lively history. This nostalgic image contrasted sharply with the building's present state, evoking a longing for its vibrant past.

I aimed to experiment using projection and combining the ‘then and now’, visually blurring the lines between past and present. The juxtaposition of nostalgia and decay serves as a reminder of the fading nature of time and the legacy of memory.