‘Pinocchio Has Green Eyes’ – A Special Show

Until July 2, 2022: PINOCCHIO HAS GREEN EYES. C.A. Ciampi exhibition space, Via dè Pucci 16/r. Open daily 10 am – 12 pm and 3 pm – 6 pm, and 10 am – 1 pm on Saturdays. Admission is free.

Florentines and visitors have a few days left to experience an artist’s interpretation of the classic fable in Pinocchio Has Green Eyes by Graziano Guiso.

Curated by Claudio Giannini and Paola Galeotti, the art work transports viewers into a dreamlike trance as they witness Pinocchio’s transformation. While the fable’s classic moral lies within the physical evolution of the protagonist, the artist introduces the audience to a new reflection of the story in which Pinocchio’s journey is reflected in the display of human emotions.

Guiso’s exhibit is dedicated to his wife Daniela, and inspired by her green eyes. The artist’s interpretation of the story aims to showcase the humanity within the puppet, a reflection of the childlike nature within all of us. 

Carlo Collodi (the pen name of Carlo Lorenzini) the author of Pinocchio, was born and lived in Florence in the 1800s. He wrote Pinocchio in a series of installments between 1881 and 1882 for a popular Italian children’s magazine. Symbols representative of the classic story can be seen around the city, from various artisan shops to souvenir stores to art shows like this. 

Unlike the Pinocchio in Collodi’s fable, Guiso’s interpretation of the puppet never becomes a child, creating a new ending left open to the audience’s imagination. 

The space is hosting a total of 23 canvases, all of which are created using acrylic paint and décollage techniques to give off a three-dimensional, illusive experience. Contrary to collage, décollage is an artistic process in which the creator tears away pieces of an original image to create something new. It is commonly associated with the New Realism artistic movement. 

Canvases depict eerie scenes of the puppet’s most difficult and painful moments, with monsters and nightmare-like details. Colors ranging from dark hues of green and blue to bright streaks of red and warm touches contribute to the fantasy-like encounter with the puppet’s existence.

Born in Lunigiana, Guiso now lives and works in Carrara. Since 2016, his work has been featured in the collection of the Carlo Collodi National Foundation and in the museum dedicated to Pinocchio in San Miniato Basso.

Learn more about Pinocchio’s influence on the city of Florence in the San Lorenzo guided walk on July 4 at 6:30 pm, where attendees will follow an itinerary in the footsteps of Lorenzini and see the places associated with Pinocchio, curated by Florence Art Edizioni.

On July 7 at 4:30 pm, there will also be a creative workshop for children at the Da Pinocchio Restaurant in Piazza del Mercato Centrale. All events are free. (natasha sokoloff)