Stepping into the Piero Resta: Illuminatus exhibition at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Schaefer International Gallery, I had no idea what to expect. I’d seen images of his colorful artwork and had some knowledge of his eccentric life on Maui, but did not anticipate being so moved by this beautiful tribute to a very fascinating and talented man. Resta’s art pieces were displayed in deliberate sections throughout the gallery, with each area embodying a different time in his creative life. Beginning with his youth and weaving around the walls to his final days on Maui, this installation was so well-thought-out and clearly pieced together with genuine love for the artist, I found myself with tears in my eyes by the end.
“This retrospective exhibition honors Maui artist Piero Resta (1940-2015) whose life was infused with passion as a celestial navigator between natural and mythological worlds,” the story begins. With a prolific mix of drawings, paintings, and sculptural works, Resta’s legacy lives on in his visual storytelling.
Born in Voghera in Northern Italy, Resta studied at the Institute of Leonardo Da Vinci in Rome. The inspiration for much of his artwork grew from these early days surrounded by Roman culture, architecture, sculpture and fresco paintings. In 1963, he moved to New York’s Chelsea District and became a fashion photographer. During this time, he was fully immersed in the creative culture of 1960’s New York. Resta was involved in experimental filmmaking, became a part of the poetry scene along with Allen Ginsberg, and worked with artists at Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory.
He moved to Bolinas, California in the 1970s and started a theater company, integrating live performances and gatherings with poetry, music, visual arts and film. There he lived as a nomad and explored hallucinatory indulgences, finding freedom and self-discovery in his youth.
Moving to Maui in 1978, Resta continued to live as an adventurer, starting off in a jungle hale in Huelo, then moving around the islands on a catamaran, and later relocating to Paia where he created his own art scene with Piero’s Garden Cafe, which included a studio and gallery space. His artwork shifted from drawing to painting during this period, with a style that fused symbolism with imaginative narratives. Figurative works were inspired by his many friends, models, and muses.
In 1991, he moved to Kaupo on the slopes of East Maui. Resta became immersed in Hawaiian culture and was further influenced by the island’s natural world. He created an artists’ sanctuary here, “Villa Tamarinda,” where he produced several pieces and collaborations themed around the cosmos and mythology. His style evolved to include more three-dimensional works in wood, stone, bronze, fountains, and architecture. Paintings became more abstract and tactile, merging spiritual transcendence with celestial imagery.
Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, the central piece of the exhibit is Resta’s wall-sized acrylic on canvas, “Epica.”
With mediums from wood to bronze, and mixed infusions of natural elements such as sand, the artist’s versatility was ever evolving.
Piero Resta was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. In his final years, he continued the creative journey with contemplative works that expressed his pathway towards healing through acceptance of the coming transformation, rebirth, and the afterlife. His art took on a new energy with a harmony of light and darkness and a focus on the portals and doorways of the cosmos. Embracing mortality, awareness, and a graceful ability to be in the moment exemplified the life of a true artistic visionary.
The exhibit closes with a poignant homage…
Piero Resta took his last physical breath on September 8, 2015. Just before this happened, he said:
“my last breath will be an ocean.”
The Piero Resta: Illuminatus exhibition at the MACC’s Schaefer International Gallery runs through July 16th, 2017 from 10am-5pm Tuesdays through Sundays. For more information, visit the MACC website.