Mariaceleste Arena’s The donkey-child and the elephant wins Synkroniciti’s Audacity Cover Contest

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Synkroniciti is delighted to reveal our surreal new cover for the “Audacity” issue. The winner of our contest is Italian visual artist Mariaceleste Arena with The donkey-child and the elephant, a vibrant watercolor and ink creation rich with symbolism.

“The illustration is set in a visionary landscape, with on the left the representation of myself as a child with the aspect of a donkey. The donkey is the animal symbol of a sensitive soul, with a strong emotional and reflective intelligence, despite appearances. The elephant on the right contributes to shaping this fantastic setting by generating soap bubbles from its trunk: it is the symbol of Creativity and the power of imagination.”

The scene integrates warm colors: brilliant yellow, orange and red, with cool blues and greens–it’s an audacious color scheme that intensifies the vivid and playful elements of the figures. Both seem to be in motion, the prancing donkey with its tail swinging and the exuberant elephant standing on front toe tips to raise it’s trunk into the sky to blow bubbles, which surround the pair. Perhaps my favorite element is the elephant’s shadow, rendered in sweeping bluegreen, spiraling in its own version of creativity’s dance.
Mariaceleste reminds us of the creative audacity of children, the power of their imagination, which is often purged in the process of growing up. Artists need to restore and regain access to this playful audacity to express themselves and find their unique voice and artistic freedom.

The issue will be available for pre-order soon at Purchase Individual Issues – synkroniciti.

Mariaceleste Arena is an emerging visual artist from Sicily. Her work is based on the elaboration of subjects and themes inspired by Neolithic culture, outsider and Naive art. Arena has exhibited in numerous national and international physical and virtual exhibitions and her artworks have been published in numerous trade magazines and catalogues.

Some of the most important exhibitions include: the Biennale di Sondrio, Italy,2024; the Virtual exhibition “Love”, Barbagelata Contemporary Art Foundation,2024;  “Text-ure 2023”, CICA Museum, South Korea; “It’s Magic: A Beyond Experience – Photo Video and Visual Design”, Rome,I taly, 2022; Virtual exhibition “First World Digital Art Fair”, 2022; Ceci n’est pas un blasphème about Censored Arts, PAN (Palace of the Arts), Naples, 2021 and the 16th edition of the Careof Ricas Award, Milan, 2015

 

 

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