About twenty original works dedicated to black cats: the exhibition is curated by a lawyer, head of the Center for Culture, Training and Forensic Activities of the Bar Association of Genoa, and offers truly particular 30×30 paintings. Why an exhibition focused specifically on these cats? To dispel the silly superstitions that concern them and enhance their charm and friendliness. The exhibition is open from November 17th until December 11th. All works can be purchased.
by Editorial Staff
Her name is Gabiella De Filippis, she is a lawyer successfully trained in art and an artist herself, with ten years of studies in engraving at the Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa. And she is the curator of the beautiful exhibition entitled “I am a black cat”, inaugurated in Genoa on the occasion of the day of these cats who, in popular tradition, have the reputation of being unlucky.
What nonsense! The intent of the exhibition is obviously to celebrate, instead, i cats with fur as dark as night, so charming and sophisticated looking. To pay homage to them in defiance of a superstition that comes from afar and which is not even well identified. It seems to date back to the Middle Ages, and this is plausible, a dark time of witch hunts and black cats, both considered symbols of evil and dangerous. We then moved on horse-drawn carts and it seems that at night, during transfers from one village to another, the horses often became enraged – and overturned their load – at the very sight of the black cats, which emerged from the darkness with those “terrible” yellow eyes.
The work on display by Stefano VIGNOLO.
The date of November 17th would instead be linked to an urban legend from about twenty years ago, when someone said that 6,000 black-coated cats were massacred that very night. In short, superstitions and rumours: the fact is that over time it was precisely these felines who had the worst of it, and it was right to rehabilitate them.
Petme interviewed the lawyer De Filippis, who not only put them on display, but keeps two at home.
“They are two of my five cats,” says De Filippis, “and they are wonderful. This exhibition also wants to raise awareness among those who still believe in such nonsense that all cats are equal and worthy of our love and respect. Black cats should be valued precisely because they are victims of senseless superstitions.”
The work of Gabriella DE FILIPPIS, the lawyer curator of the exhibition.
Lawyer, we understand that you are truly a passionate cat lady…
“Absolutely yes. I was saying that today I have five cats, but I also had fifteen at the same time! They all lived with me, in my house, I’m lucky enough to have a garden where, when the weather was good, they stayed calm and happy. No, my cats never ran away, I think because they were all purebred and purebred cats are ‘gnocchi’, that is, ‘potatoes’. The sadness is that they only live a few years, 4 or 5, because they are delicate and in poor health.”
Tell us what we can come and see in the exhibition you curated: what is on display?
“For this occasion, twenty authors created works all dedicated to black cats. They are small paintings on 30 by 30 centimeter canvases, painted with various techniques, from charcoal to watercolours, to oil painting and collage. Unique and very beautiful pieces, each has a special soul. Each artist interpreted a black-coated cat in his own way: romantic, mysterious, cuddly, tender… They all provided a different representation of it.”
The work of Raffaella BISIO.
You are also taking part in the exhibition with one of your works: what is it?
“I wanted to exhibit a Sylvester Cat made with polystyrene. Mine is not a painting, but a figure. Our black cats are also funny and cute!”.
Alongside the works, interesting information sheets are also posted.
“When I curate an exhibition – and I follow several every year – I look for and coordinate the artists, but I also like to add something extra. My cards explain how the black cat has been seen over time, from ancient Egypt where cats were even sacred animals, passing through ancient Greece and ancient Rome, two cultures that attributed a positive and lucky charm.
“Then I move on to the Middle Ages, where the perception was overturned, and I arrive at the countries where dark cats still do not enjoy a good reputation today. Italy is in the ranking, with Spain and the United States. In Japan, on the contrary, black cats are a symbol of good luck… And there is much other curious information, for example the scientific explanation of the color of their coat, which in reality is never pitch black but if you look closely it has reddish streaks”.
The work of Rossella MACCARONE.
In the video you made, and which we publish on this page, you can also see very particular works, created inside books.
“They are unique works by Alessandro Targani, delicious and very particular. The figure of the cats is carved into the pages of the books: the black cats pop out of the paper, it’s worth seeing them.”
For all cat lovers, black but not only, the address not to be missed until December 11th is the Center for Culture, Training and Forensic Activities of the Genoa Bar Association, in via XII October 3. The works on display can be viewed also buy.
If you want to know more about this special exhibition, you can consult the website at this web address:
Top: Work by Josèe Anna GUTTADORO
All photos: Center for Culture, Training and Forensic Activities of the Genoa Bar Association
How does Gabriella De Filippis’ background as a lawyer influence her approach to curating this exhibition?
1. Can you tell us more about the exhibition of black cats in the Genoa Bar Association? What inspired the lawyer Gabriella De Filippis to curate this exhibition?
2. Are there any particular works in the exhibition that stand out to you? If so, which ones and why?
3. How has the perception of black cats changed over time, according to the information provided in the exhibition?
4. What do you think are some of the superstitions or misconceptions that people have about black cats, and how can we work to dispel them?
5. As a cat owner, what has your experience been with black cats? Do you think they are any different from other cats in terms of personality or behavior?
6. What role do you think art can play in raising awareness about animal welfare and rehabilitating their image?
