From as early as 2019, the Berlin-based Argentinian painter Mariano Rinaldi Goñi has been immersing himself in the long and complex history of the Rammelsberg ore mine and the local mythology associated with it, incorporating many of these elements into his paintings. In Goslar, Goñi encountered a veritable treasure trove of motifs that beautifully align with ideas central to his art for many years. Never interested in merely faithful representation, he rather focuses on bringing to life the forces at work, the underlying visual principles, and the manifold interplay of elements and contrasts.
Goñi's painting technique corresponds to the thematic complexity of his paintings. The empty areas of the canvas not only contrast with the dense materiality of the impasto color splashes, but also with his restlessly energetic brushwork and the abundance of details. For the first time in Goñi's oeuvre, he employs a series of paints with pigments related to the ores and pigment components (including ocher and slate) mined at Goslar: copper (for gold), zinc white, various shades of black, including the particularly dark spinel black. With this, Goñi creates a visual language that is capable of perfectly expressing his multifaceted symbolism.
