Galleria Raffaella Cortese is delighted to present viveka, the first solo show by Allyson Strafella in via Stradella 4, Milan.
The title of the show, viveka, comes from the ancient Pali language. It is a term that encompasses her experience of this past year. Though there are several translations, the one that resonates for Strafella speaks to the concepts of “seclusion + absorption” (in the words of Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal).
This past year has been about sheltering in place, staying home, and being alone with ourselves due to the pandemic. Though uncomfortable for many, the time in seclusion from the world provided an opportunity to become absorbed in practice – the practice of mediation, the practice of drawing. Strafella’s studio has been a welcomed refuge to engage with this concept of seclusion + absorption.
The shapes one can glimpse in her drawings appear to result from a different way of observing the surroundings, infused with an illuminated experience of looking. In a year when our relationship with the outside has been so profoundly challenged, the seclusion + absorption that is viveka has proven to be essential.
