Abath, Giovanni
Born in 1974 in Curaçao, Giovanni Abath, or as we shall call him from this point on, 7.1, is an intriguing self-taught artist in the island’s contemporary art landscape.
He doesn’t like traveling much, and he didn’t have access to art until he was much older than you’d expect; he has no formal artistic education whatsoever, and even so, 7.1 has quickly established himself in the sculptural contemporary Caribbean art scene.
After developing a taste for the arts and crafts in school, he started working in a metal refinery factory. After several years of continuous contact with the material, the metal suddenly started speaking to the artist: it became a tool for creative experimentation.
A beginning in carnival
Although not taken seriously by his family, who didn’t see the purpose of wasting the metal for aesthetic purposes, he started to build the first few projects for the local Carnival, and that was instantly a success. Even though his experimentation process touched a variety of styles and techniques, one recurrent feature stayed in 7.1’s artists’ practice: the reuse of metal, specifically iron, that was intended for disposal.
7.1 has experience with other materials as well, often mixing them into new compositions, but in a recent interview, the artist clearly stated: “Cuando siento historias, salen en metal, el hierro no tiene complejos”, that roughly translates to “When I feel stories, they appear to me in metal; iron is unapologetic”.
A first opportunity in art
His first solo exhibition, featuring ten artworks, happened in 2015 at the refinery on the occasion of a commemorative exhibition on the oil refinery titled 100 aña refineria den nos bida (The refinery in our lives for 100 years). The series is the starting point for creating the monumental work “Man of Steel”, after artist Felix de Rooy’s advice and guidance.
That moment led to multiple exhibitions and open-door studios, especially one in collaboration with art historian Josée Thissen in 2017. Now, his artworks can be found throughout the islands of Aruba and Curaçao, spanning through universal themes such as nature, the elements (water, fire, earth, air), deities and local history. His bond to the local art scene has been strengthened by the steady exchange of artistic perspectives and practices with fellow local artists.
In September 2023, he opened “7.1 Experience”, his own art gallery and studio located in the monument Landhuis Morgenster.
The explanation for the name 7.1
Right before his first exhibition, 7.1 realizes that he still needs to find his artistic alter ego’s name. He finds his initials to be trivial, if not boring, so instead of signing like “GA”, he decides to take a chance with numbers: G is the 7th letter of the alphabet, and A is the first one.
Numerology tells us that 7 is a mystical number; it’s the number representing the concept of wholeness and God. 7 is the number of colors in the rainbow, and 7 are the musical notes. 1 is the law of the universe. 7+1 combined are 8, the infinite number.
He uses his signature to manifest infinity and a sense of mysticism. He wants his artworks to endure and inspire people even after his time on this earth has come to an end.
Artwork E Kamber Sekreto di Shon (The Master’s Secret Room). 2017, metal.
A Shon is an enslaver and owner of a plantation. The artwork shows an imaginary space with various rooms arranged in an architectural fantasy. It envisions a secret room in every Shon’s house where cruel and wicked acts are carried out against the enslaved people.
Each room features a moment in the lives of nearly every enslaved person, forced to work on a plantation: the room of prayers symbolizes the forced conversion to Christianity, which sooner rather than later became the only source of hope for the enslaved people; in a corner, we see a scene of sexual abuse; in another one, we see enslaved people who are being punished for no apparent reason other than the sake of persecution; at the top, the depiction of the extreme act of suicide.
A specific box at the top of the construction shows an escape: an enslaved person who manages to escape from the agony, fighting for his freedom and succeeding.
A glimpse at the artwork Puresa (Pureness)
Puresa is an artwork rich with imaginative potential. It consists of an intricate string of metal, framed in the same material. These structures don’t need any form of external support. The artwork is see-through, and its shape and disposition resemble those of the painting tradition, but it is, in fact, a sculpture. Puresa is the depiction of a language in which we all were once fluent but then forgot for the sake of social constructs.
In the artist’s vision, every newborn comes into the world with a set of structures that are pure, natural and innate. Newborns speak a language that adults can’t comprehend anymore. In this context, institutionalized education overrides the primordial language of the spirits, making way for a tinted new way of living, speaking and interacting that is far from nature and its founding principles.
Artist Gallery the 7.1 Experience
The artist 7.1 opened his gallery in September 2023 in Landhuis Morgenster. It is named 7.1 Experience, and the artist created several sculptures specifically for the gallery. Visitors are met at the entrance by the ‘Light-bearer’, a 7-meter tall statue in glittering metal, which is lighted on special occasions. The gallery shows a wide selection of his sculptures and an in-depth acquaintance with the artist through a tour with a visit to his studio and the special chamber dedicated to the ‘artist brain’. Guided tours, led by Giovanni Abath, are offered daily.
2024: written by Cecilia Federici.
© When reproducing the text above, please credit the writer and source: Curaçao Art®️ www.curacao-art.com. The artist retains all image rights of their artworks.
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