X Marks the Spot
Aunque no me crean, mi relato es hermoso, y la víbora que lo cantó lo cantó al salir del pozo. — Leonora Carrington
Mindy Solomon is pleased to exhibit X Marks the Spot , a joint exhibition created by Marcelo Canevari and Ornella Pocetti. Built as a shared fictional landscape, the exhibition brings together painting and sculptural elements to create a series of scenes that feel familiar at first glance, yet quietly unsettling.
The “X” marks a metaphorical intersection: between two painters who have lived and worked together for over ten years, between different ways of building images, and between what is shown and what remains hidden. The works respond to one another, generating a dialogue shaped by proximity, influence, and differences. The “X” also carries other meanings: it is a sign of the unknown, the variable, the disguised — it opens a space for speculation. “X” can mark what is crossed out or censored, what is restricted or forbidden — an “X” that both reveals and conceals. In that sense, it also flirts with the idea of the X-rated: the erotic, the excessive, the inappropriate, the image that exceeds what can be comfortably shown.
Throughout the exhibition, images extend beyond the surface of the paintings and take physical form in the space. The show unfolds as a sequence of stages, inviting viewers to move through moments of recognition and unease. Rather than pointing to a fixed meaning, X Marks the Spot guides to a place of encounter, where fiction, intimacy, and tension converge. Showcasing a myriad of works that range in size from mammoth (and two sided) to small scale, each piece is a reveal. Canevari’s works contain layers of symbolic imagery. The butterfly symbolic of transformation and change, and the tunnel a journey to the unknown. Pocetti features the female “femme fatale”, a sometimes androgynous protagonist manifesting psycho-sexual experiences in a murky theatrical-like world.
X Marks the Spot is as performative as it is a visual exhibition. The works lead and unfold. The viewer will be surprised by all the secret narratives. In their first Miami debut, Canevari and Pocetti bring mystery and delight to the viewer.
About Ornella Pocetti and Marcelo Canevari:
Marcelo Canevari was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He trained and worked as an illustrator of Argentine nature, taking part in science outreach projects at the Bernardino Rivadavia Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences and with the National Parks Administration. His work has been selected for the 11th National Painting Prize of the Central Bank of Argentina, the 13th and 14th UADE National Visual Arts Awards, and the UNNE Prize. He also received an Honorary Mention at the Félix Amador Salon and was awarded Second Prize in Painting at the National Salon in 2019. He has participated in group exhibitions at venues such as MARCO La Boca Museum, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Galería Praxis, MC Galería, Galería Barrakesh, Weserhalle (Berlin), Allouche Gallery (New York), Seefood Room (Hong Kong), Im Gallery (Guangzhou), Mindy Solomon Gallery (Miami), and the Fountainhead Artist Residency (Miami).
Ornella Pocetti was born in Buenos Aires in 1991. She studied Visual Arts at the Universidad Nacional de las Artes (UNA) and continued her training through various workshops and programs. In 2015, she held her first solo exhibition, Challenging Time, at Galería Acéfala. In 2019, she received a scholarship to participate in the Artistas x Artistas program at Munar. In 2022, she took part in the Fountainhead Arts Residency in Miami. She has participated in several group exhibitions across Europe, U.S and Asia. In 2023, she held her first solo exhibition in Miami at Mindy Solomon Gallery. Her work has been selected for numerous competitions, including Salón Félix Amador (2018 and 2019), Fondo Nacional de las Artes (2018), Premio Itaú (2019), Salón Nacional (2021), Concurso Nacional UADE (2020), Salón Nacional de Rosario Castagnino–Macro (2018), and the X National Painting Prize of the Central Bank of Argentina (2017), receiving awards and honorable mentions in the latter four. In 2025, she held her first group show in Museo Marco La Boca, in which she also edited the journal “Gótico del Plata,” a literary investigation surrounding the exhibition. She currently lives and works in Buenos Aires, specifically in the neighborhood of La Boca, where her studio is located.
