Born in 1996, Davide Tavino is an artist from Genoa whose artwork is distinguished by his bitter graphic experiences in youthful paintings. His first personal exhibition, which took place before his high school graduation in 2015, featured more than thirty pieces. He began his pictorial studies at the Ligustica Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa in late 2017. Throughout his young career, he has collaborated with different painters and social realities to continue his stylistic research. Some of his works have been exhibited in Chiavari, Milan, Sestri Levante and Luxembourg.
In 2020, Davide was invited to participate in Grand Hotel Portovenere’s art project called ‘Between Liguria & Tuscany’, which features artworks by this Ligurian artist through the Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti di Genova, and also artworks from neighboring Tuscany. These pieces of art were created specifically for the initiative. Portovenere is 115 km away from Genoa, Liguria’s Capital.
Tavino explains: “When thinking about what my work should focus on, I connected the place where it would be exhibited (the Gulf of Poets and particularly the town of Porto Venere) with the Gulf of Tigullio, where I was born and raised. Not only are they similar for the landscapes, but both bays have strong traces left by creative luminaries throughout time. One could have the idea that the gulf encloses history, crystallizing it. But history does not stop. It landed on these shores in search of peace and inspiration, to be able to transport at least a small part of it elsewhere. And so, perhaps, still today it moors on these shores, bringing back distant echoes. History runs”.
This was the concept behind Tavino’s giant artwork called “The History that runs” (oil, ink, collage and graphite on canvas, 100 x 200 cm). It was exposed in 2020-2021 in Portovenere’s art underpass along with smaller paintings called Porto and Eriche, and the giant “The Tiger and The Light” (oil, collage and graffiti on canvas, 100x200cm), all of which are tied with the landscape of the gulfs.
Porto (acrylic, pastels and charcoal on paper, 50 x 35 cm)
“The port, especially in a land pushed towards the sea by the mountains, is where everything comes from: news, problems, love, pain. They can arrive at the harbor suddenly, forcefully asking if they can stay. No problem, there is always room: just as anything can arrive at the port, so everything can go away from the port, suddenly sailing away.”
Eriche (acrylic and pastels on paper, 50 x 35 cm each)
“The landscape and human bonds to this land are, perhaps, just the same. On the rocky promontories, where life is harsh, plants have grown learning how to adapt to this jagged terrain. The heathers extend their articulated fronds towards the sky. So, we look elsewhere to grow and enrich ourselves, but our roots will always dig deep into these harsh lands.”
Regarding the concept of this artwork, Tavino explained: “There are many testimonies of local painters and writers who are now famous, but who obtained little recognition during the lifetime in the Gulf of Poets and the Gulf of Tigullio. Sometimes it feels like being a caged tiger in these places. Speaking with friends and acquaintances, this seems to be a widespread feeling, but it is indeed just a feeling. The light is here too, the opportunities exist. You just need to let your tiger out of its cage, without masking it, and you need to fiercely chase your desires, your deepest will. And then perhaps, who knows, go back to your cage to rest a bit.”
This work is alive and seems to emit an almost electrical quality beneath its emotional current. .