Let him/her who has no fears cast the first stone.
Anxieties, frustrations and obsessions all constantly accompany us in our lives, more or less openly. They influence our relationship with ourselves and others. There is no denying it: Our society is mentally exhausting by its very nature. And as such, the real point is not to live without fear but rather to learn how to manage it and go beyond it, exorcise it if you will. Raffaele Sabella does this through illustration.
Raffaele is a communication designer – a father and husband – with years of solid work fuelling his creativity. His process based on research, analysis and comparison has led him to devote himself to vector illustrations. His work transforms complex shapes into simple ones while organic shapes become geometric. His artistry has the unique ability to express our collective everyday fears, sublimating them through art.
For this reason, we decided to involve him in 12X6, a project we created to give space – literally and metaphorically – to young professionals in the visual arts. Every six months, we curate a journey divided into twelve works displayed in our offices, which become a permanent gallery of creative talents.
The title of his exhibition, as one would expect, is Beyond Fears. We opened our doors on 14 July to welcome friends, colleagues and design enthusiasts, sharing this show with them. The works address a variety of topics: from money issues – and in particular the fear of not making ends meet (Slaves) – to time, specifically the fear of not having any time left for the things that truly matter (No Space). Other pieces focused on those everyday afflictions we all know too well: the fear of the blank page, the fear of other people’s opinions or the fear of getting fat. In short, a whirlwind of emotions, mostly negative, which Raffaele takes head-on, making them the subject of his work.
As he says: “illustration lets you turn a bad thing into something joyful, with a sense for irony. Through geometry, illustration simplifies reality, making things easier, and creates a world that’s more comfortable to inhabit”.
We want to thank everyone who attended the opening night – and are pleased to let you know Beyond Fears will be open to “visit” for the next six months. You will find us in the CBA Milan headquarters at Via San Francesco d’Assisi, 15. Our thanks also go to Claudia Alexandrino (aka shutupclaudia), the author featured in our previous 12×6 exhibition titled Just Women.
If you want to learn more about Raffaele Sabella’s work, you can visit his website.
