Norberto Spina

Norberto Spina works with layered, textured paintings that explore the complexities of contemporary urban life. His practice draws from personal and collective memory, integrating sources such as family photographs, iPhone images, religious iconography, and artifacts from Italy’s historical past. These elements are combined and reworked to create compositions that are both elusive and grounded in reality. Spina’s technique balances addition and subtraction: he layers marker pen and paint, then scrapes, scratches, and scars the surfaces, producing textured canvases that carry the traces of his engagement with the medium. His work juxtaposes diverse visual lexicons, giving equal weight to intimate and historical imagery, reflecting the chaotic, multifaceted experience of modern life. Through this approach, Spina examines memory, history, and identity, inviting viewers to navigate the interplay between image, material, and narrative. His paintings encourage contemplation of the tensions between personal experience and collective memory, offering spaces where the layers of time, culture, and perception intersect. ...