Too Fragile

Nicoletta Ceccoli’s most recent collection of paintings is inspired by the interplay between bitterness and sweetness. Sweets, whether cakes or candy, are universal icons of pleasure and desire and generally regarded as positive, happy things. Ceccoli turns our assumptions on their side by using sweets to highlight the pleasurable aspects of these sugary treats while at the same time showing us the conflict we feel towards our appetites. Her paintings depict dreams of lovely things, but with darkness lurking just behind them, like the dark side of childhood nursery rhymes. In “Eye Candy,” Ceccoli, further develops her world of beauty and darkness through the pleasure we find in sweets. Can one have too much a good thing? Despite the first impression of sweetness and light, upon further reflection, it becomes evident that the masterfully rendered sweets are a metaphor for desires that are not always best fulfilled. Nicoletta Ceccoli is from San Marino and graduated from the Institute of Art in Urbino. Her paintings are beautiful and intriguing, consistently striking a delicate balance between disturbing and enchanting. At first glance, her work masquerades as youthful and innocent but a darker narrative inevitably unfolds. Each painting is rife with symbolism that sparks the Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with other media. Mission Statement | A landmark gallery in SoHo since 1984, AFA (formerly Animazing) began as an exhibition space specializing in conceptual animation art. Over time, we broadened that scope to include works by renowned Illustrators and pop culture commercial artists as well as fine artists. In 2012, in keeping with the momentum of our natural development and growth, we revamped the gallery’s program with new artists, exhibitions and endeavors and renamed it AFA (Animazing Fine Art). At AFA, we are inspired by works that are layered with dark complexity and symbolism, indulging the senses and engaging the emotions. We exhibit paintings, drawings and sculpture created by important established and extraordinary emerging artists – including Tim Burton, Nicoletta Ceccoli, Tom Everhart, Daniel Merriam and Kirk Reinert. Our criterion are masterful technique, wild imagination and edgy subject matter. We strive to represent our artists with savvy and passion in an environment that is enjoyable, informative and accessible.