Giovanni Lo Castro, RUFA student of Visual Arts, during his residency at MACRO, has given form and substance to an experimental project which involves several medical tests with the aim of involving the observer in a participatory analysis.. In the Albini test the symbols of type “E” are arranged in a graduated grid, with different orientations, so as to allow even those who do not know the alphabet to respond to the direction of opening or closing of the symbol itself. This is especially necessary for children. Translating this concept to art, Giovanni Lo Castro has created a diptych: Visus and Virus.
In the first painting – Visus – the test is superimposed on the image of a blindfolded man, immobilized on a pedestal, unable to move, unable to distinguish right from left, and therefore unable to orient himself in the space of the outside world and in the space of his own thought. The aim is to create a fundamental contrast: a test to be faced and the impossibility of doing it.
In the second – Virus – is painted a test that recalls Visus, but the “E” are no longer visible, replaced by digitised symbols linked to today’s society. The test consists of a total of 82 symbols arranged in 11 lines, classified by progressive numbers that indicate the optical perception of the observer. The symbols follow a hierarchical order in their interpretation, faithful to the social priorities of each individual. Overlapping are two jumping children who look at the observer, to communicate joy and carefreeness.
