Andrea Barzaghi Presents Playground at Cardelli&Fontana Gallery in Sarzana
From November 14, 2026, Cardelli&Fontana Gallery in Sarzana presents Playground. When I saw my back again, a solo exhibition by Andrea Barzaghi, accompanied by a critical text by Giulia De Giorgi. A new series of paintings explores creative freedom and the expressive possibilities of contemporary painting, through suspended figures, stylistic experimentation, and fresh artistic perspectives.
Painting as a field of experimentation, a space in which to question established certainties and rediscover the freedom of the creative process. This is the central idea behind Playground. When I saw my back again, the solo exhibition by Andrea Barzaghi, opening on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM at Cardelli&Fontana Gallery in Sarzana, Italy.
The exhibition brings together a selection of works created throughout 2026, characterised by a variety of subjects, surfaces, and stylistic approaches that reflect a period of transformation in the artist's practice.
Accompanied by a critical text by Giulia De Giorgi, the exhibition offers an opportunity to explore the evolution of a painterly language that does not necessarily seek a single direction but instead embraces a multitude of expressive possibilities.
Andrea Barzaghi and Playground, Painting as a Space of Freedom
"I need to see that different directions exist, to allow the works to take their time, to leave them open and breathing with all their imperfections, so that the creative force of painting is not lost."
Andrea Barzaghi's words, quoted in Giulia De Giorgi's text, capture the essence of an artistic practice centred on the freedom of painting.
In Playground, the artist once again explores the possibilities of his visual language through a process of experimentation that makes room for the unexpected, imperfections, and the transformation of the artwork.
Although created during the same period, the paintings on display reveal different approaches to image-making and the treatment of surfaces. The variety of formal solutions suggests an artistic practice in constant evolution, in which each work can represent an independent direction.
As Barzaghi himself observes, "every painting has its own personality."
The exhibition's title evokes precisely this sense of openness and renewal: a return to the possibility of challenging oneself, looking at one's work from a different perspective, and rediscovering the expressive freedoms that can sometimes be lost as an artistic style becomes established.
Figures and Suspended Narratives in Andrea Barzaghi's Painting
A central element of Barzaghi's artistic practice is the relationship between the human figure, space, and narrative.
In the paintings presented in Sarzana, figures seem to inhabit suspended situations, sometimes lacking precise temporal references and at other times rooted in the present. The characters appear absorbed in their inner worlds or involved in scenes that suggest the unfolding of a story.
These are images in which something seems about to happen, inviting viewers to imagine what might have taken place before or what could follow the moment depicted.
Nature and landscape also take on different roles: in some works, they remain an evocative presence, while in others they are approached through a more realistic representation.
This alternation between suggestion and recognisability contributes to an open visual language in which stylistic diversity becomes an integral part of the creative process.
Painting is therefore not merely a means of representation, but also a space for reflection on the possibilities of the image and the relationship between what is revealed and what remains open to the imagination.
Andrea Barzaghi, born in Monza in 1988, lives and works in Milan. His artistic education began at the Medardo Rosso Art High School in Lecco and continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino, where he further developed the technical and expressive possibilities of painting.
A significant stage in his career was his experience at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Nuremberg, which began during the Erasmus programme in 2009–2010 and continued in the following years.
Exposure to new cultural and artistic environments gradually transformed his visual language. The romantic atmospheres of his early works, inspired by the landscapes of Lombardy, gave way to a painting style characterised by dense lines, pure colours, and an increasing focus on the human figure.
The human being became the central subject of his research, through an exploration of the relationships between the individual and society, inner experience and the external world.
His subsequent move to Leipzig, where he encountered different generations of artists associated with the Leipziger Schule (Leipzig School), further expanded the possibilities of his artistic practice.
During this period, Barzaghi also explored the three-dimensional dimension of painting, investigating the canvas as a physical object and material presence capable of interacting with the surrounding space.
His artistic career also includes his selection as a finalist in the Painting category of the 2016 Premio Combat.
With Playground. When I saw my back again, the artist presents a new phase of his practice, in which experimentation becomes an opportunity to reconsider his relationship with his own work and embrace different expressive directions.
The exhibition thus represents a moment of reflection on his artistic journey, while also opening up new, unexplored possibilities and restoring painting to its most free and unpredictable dimension.
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