Rachele Maistrello’s cutouts are a means to rediscover the wonder of childhood. With the winery as their backdrop, they are surrounded by the winemaker’s tools.
Their purple color evokes the grapes that give life to the winery’s Amarone and Ripassa. They represent the values that the artist perceives in our vineyards. They have prompted her to see these places in a different light. As she positions the cardboard shapes in unexpected contexts, they create alienating images.
The shell evokes Lake Garda and the identity of the land where Lugana wines are produced: The vineyards are situated south of the lake, where melting glaciers created a unique terroir. The geometric fig-ures are an expression of the family’s love for their vineyards and their family traditions.
The jewels reflect the precious nature of our wines and the Zenato family’s calling to celebrate beauty and art. The laboratory is the ideal backdrop for the artist as she plays with the cutouts and makes her cardboard diamonds shine. The laboratory is a place where wine is studied, where alembics, scales, and computers stand ready to test, analyze, and ensure the quality of the final product. Here and there, a document appears between the images. There are spreadsheets and other barely dis-cernible shapes printed on light sheets papers.
The title of the project is a reference to the “rosa sentinella” or “sentinel rose.” In another era, a rose was planted at the beginning of the rows in the vineyards. When disease threatened the vines, symptoms would manifest first in the rose. The ac-tion of pruning alludes to a layered history that speaks of the relationship between man and nature. But it’s also a place where we can imagine a sort of dance.
