Fragile, Handle with Care Giampiero Romanò

In Fragile, Handle with Care, Romanò combines his artistic creativity with his skills in restoration and preservation. Romanò is devoted to working with antique frames and mirrors, the source of his inspiration and from which he builds his universe but also breaks it. Romanò’s “Mirrors” could look rich and beautiful, yet they are extremely fragile, exactly like people. The artworks are also a representation of a journey to parallel temporal universes and are signs of revolution on the conventional in a bid for change.

Romanò started working on vintage pieces perfecting his techniques for years in his workshop. His background in restoration and research of antiques contributes to the uniqueness of his artworks. He transforms the old used pieces of framed mirrors into whole new entities by looking at antiques with the eyes of an artist intervening in the past while projecting the future.

Giampiero Romanò, *Psychedelic* (2023), wood, mirror and gold leaf
95 x 88 x 3 cm (37.4 x 34.6 x 1.2 in)

Nevertheless, the past, present, and future find a way to co-exist in his artworks at the same time. His works combine history/memories (old frames) and the present time (represented by people’s faces reflected in the mirrors), and he leaves room for the future. He suggests that mirrors embrace the reflection of their previous owners as forms of intangible records; therefore, they represent “us” or the “people.” Hence, the frames represent the ever-changing history while the mirror represents “us” with our multiple images and variable lives. “We the human beings are the mirror, the element that should give cohesion to the frame which is our history,” he says. Romanò looks at the audience as part of the artwork, as they reflect their faces whilst exploring intently.