Founded in 1986 and based in Naples, Alfonso Artiaco will host Belgian artist Johan Creten’s exhibition from September 11 to October 31, 2025. Titled Tremore Essenziale (Essential Tremor), the exhibition brings to the audience Creten’s exploration of vibration, fragility, and transformation, concepts that occupy a central place in his practice.
The exhibition is conceived as an intuitive flow that intertwines the body, material, and history. Creten’s works do more than simply occupy the space; they also reveal the fragile nature of the environment itself. The exhibition’s title reflects this notion: “Tremor” resonates both formally and existentially, echoing in the perception of both material and viewer.
At the heart of the exhibition is the “Odore di Femmina” series, which explores the delicate tension between attraction and repulsion, desire and unease. Working with clay—a moist, fertile material that has shaped human life since ancient times—Creten creates fragile yet unsettling flowers. These blooms symbolize both the disruption of innocence and the transformation into sublime beauty.
Made from glazed stoneware, these sculptures appear as transient beings oscillating between eros and the sacred, light and shadow, beauty and decay. Naples, defined by volcanoes, earthquakes, and constant renewal, resonates deeply with the spirit of the exhibition. In this way, the gallery transcends its role as an art space, inviting viewers into a sensory experience and reflection on existence.
In his own words, the artist accompanies the exhibition with the following reflection: "And one day, as I was building an enormous figure made of flowers, I thought to myself: How beautiful it is… it seems to tremble. And in the end, it really did tremble - before collapsing under its own weight. Only to be reborn, days later, beneath my hands. The eternal return."
