Alpha and Omega
Gianni Caravaggio (*1968)

 

Gianni Caravaggio, Alpha and Omega, 2013, graphite on tracing paper. Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana, Lugano. Gift Giancarlo and Danna Olgiati

‘What interests me is an unfathomable but unavoidable transcendental condition, namely the perception that there is something beyond what is there.’

In Alpha and Omega, the title engages in a dialogue with the physicality of the work, acting as a semantic complement. The letter ‘A’ of ‘Alpha’ is torn out in the shape of a triangle; the black ‘O’ of ‘Omega’ is cut out in the shape of a circle. The two elements serve as a template for the background design identifiable as a simple yet enigmatic mountain landscape, which viewers are encouraged to explore using their imagination. In the space of image, the concrete and the philosophical seamlessly merge.