Dominant colour

The architect Antonino Cardillo is unafraid of employing a singular colour that dominates the entire space, thereby creating an intense atmosphere, as exemplified by the gallery project Crepuscular Green.

The work of the Italian architect Antonino Cardillo may readily be understood as an aesthetic manifesto. By endowing the space with classical forms such as the arch, reinterpreted through the contrasting use of colour, the young professional undertakes a contemporary re-reading of traditional architectural archetypes. Consequently, environments that are both ostentatious and incongruous, yet decidedly hypnotic, are created.

The art gallery Crepuscular Green is probably Antonino’s most iconic work. Situated in Rome, Italy, the space was conceived as a grotto of green gold. The colour dominates the entire environment, enveloping both walls and furnishings, in a complete chromatic immersion intended to evoke the imagination of its occupants.

Bamboo: Your work is renowned for its striking presence of colours and materials. What type of atmosphere does this combination engender?

Antonino Cardillo: Colours and materials are essential instruments for crafting narratives. Architecture functions when its emptiness is capable of transforming reality and unveiling the invisible dimensions of existence, those labyrinths of meaning enshrined within our subconscious. It is precisely this type of atmosphere that matters to me.

B: How is the selection of colours and materials determined?

AC: Each decision is intrinsically related to the narrative that each architectural work aspires to convey. Through architecture, I endeavour to explore the anthropological significances embedded in every colour and material. Thus, in the House of Dust project, the rough brown plaster alludes to bare earth; in Crepuscular Green, the glossy vault evokes the depths of a river; and the glass vases in Colour as a Narrative refer to the ethereal nature of scent.

B: Many of your interior design projects employ a minimal use of decorative objects, allowing the architecture to speak for itself. Do you concur with this approach, and do you believe that minimalism better engages with the space?

AC: As with writing, redundancy is to be eschewed in architecture. Minimalism is of no consequence to me. I have learned from ancient architecture the importance of pursuing the fundamental quality of a work. In order to fashion a significant project, one must learn to relinquish distraction.

B: How would you describe your work?

AC: I regard my work as an inquiry into forgotten significances of the past, akin to a codex primarily based on notions of protection and eroticism. The grotto alludes to uterine protection, whilst the arch signifies the presence of the phallus. Both elements are connected to the origin of the sacred. Consequently, these archetypes continue to inhabit our subconscious, admonishing us that there is more than the commonplace visions imposed by society.

B: In your opinion, what renders an interior design work prestigious?

AC: A work is prestigious when it embodies magic.