Shigeo Otake: Nel mezzo del Cammin

“Nel mezzo del cammin” presents the first chapter of a two-part survey dedicated to Shigeo Otake, marking his first major institutional presentation in Europe. Curated by Franck Gautherot and Seungduk Kim, the exhibition unfolds across four rooms of Palazzo Zon and is conceived in reference to the opening line of Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno”.

This chapter introduces the “Open Path” of the artist’s mature practice, bringing together approximately thirty works produced between 1996 and 2025. Through detailed paintings populated by hybrid beings and organic forms, the works establish a dialogue with Italian painting of the Trecento and Quattrocento, reinterpreted through a contemporary Japanese perspective.

Otake’s practice combines references across traditions and periods, merging elements of Eastern and Western visual cultures, historical painting and surreal imagery. His compositions present figures that intertwine human, animal and vegetal forms within landscapes that evoke both familiarity and ambiguity.

The exhibition highlights the development of a visual language shaped by the artist’s study of traditional techniques and sustained engagement with European art history. His interest in mycology also informs the work, introducing recurring motifs that suggest processes of transformation. The paintings construct environments where ordinary and fantastical elements coexist, inviting multiple readings.