Exploring Rhythm and Movement: An Interview with John Vitale

John Vitale for his duo exhibition The Sky Was Never Meant To Hold Us

We had a conversation with John Vitale ahead of their Berlin debut, The Sky Was Never Meant to Hold Us, currently on view at Galerie SLP. Their work, known for its layered exploration of human experience, rhythm, and movement, offers a dynamic visual dialogue with the viewer.

Listening to the Painting: When Is a Work Complete?

They tell me when they are finished. John Vitale describes their process as a conversation with the painting—one honed through practice, trial, and error. “Lots of error,” they admit, “but I've learned to enjoy and trust that the error leads you where you need to go.” For them, the early stages are full of uncertainty, but as the work progresses, it begins to take on a life of its own. “At some point, it starts making itself, and I just feel like the messenger.”

Visual Music: The Role of Sound and Rhythm

There’s an undeniable connection between John Vitale’s paintings and rhythm, almost like visual music. Their background in percussion informs their approach. “I’ve always felt like an antenna for the transmission of music,” they say. Music acts as a binding force for many creative endeavors, but silence also plays a role in their practice. “Even silence is its own form of sonic experience.” Whether through sound or quietude, the rhythm of painting is ever-present in their process.

A Berlin Debut: Shifting Perspectives in a New City

Having lived and worked in various places, John Vitale finds inspiration in the energy of new environments. “Showing in new cities broadens my experience and contributes to what comes out in the work.” While they haven’t noticed a direct shift in their paintings since arriving in Berlin, they acknowledge that subconscious influences play a role. A lifelong skateboarder, they compare their artistic process to the way skateboarders experience urban spaces, seeking out and interacting with the environment in ways others might overlook.

Balancing Spontaneity and Control

One of the defining tensions in John Vitale’s work is the push and pull between gestural abstraction and precise layering. “It’s a never-ending challenge,” they explain. Their process oscillates between obsessive detail and an explosive need for spontaneity. “There’s a breaking point where I have to let go, it's a necessary release.” This constant negotiation between control and freedom fuels the depth and dynamism of their compositions.

Breaking Boundaries: The Meaning Behind the Exhibition Title

The Sky Was Never Meant to Hold Us evokes themes of movement, freedom, and breaking limits, ideas that deeply resonate with John Vitale’s practice. “I am inherently a rule breaker, and that mentality translates into my work.”Rejecting strict categorization within abstraction, they hope that viewers feel the same sense of looseness and liberation that they embodied while creating the works in this show. “This exhibition was a moment of release, and I hope that translates to those who experience it.”