Milena Sgambato
@videoinsightfoundation announces the acquisition for the Videoinsight® Collection of the work “Ci abbracciammo” (We Embraced), acrylic on canvas, 92 x 73 cm, 2024, by artist @milena.sgambato.
The painting originates from the “Caregiver” exhibition—curated by @rebeccarusso.videoinsight and promoted by @videoinsightfoundation—held at @magazziniartecontemporanea in Trapani from July 29 to August 29, 2026. It has been included in the Videoinsight® Collection #videoinsightcollection.
“In ‘Ci abbracciammo,’ the archetype of #care is understood as a profound emotional attunement and a recognition of the other. The two figures, with eyes closed, experience a shared journey. They embody the union of opposites—a true coniunctio oppositorum—in which two souls integrate within a psychological embrace. Vivid details, such as the painted fingernails and the pink pillow, serve as powerful symbols of the Persona—the social and everyday identity that retains its full dignity. The earthy-toned blanket envelops the bodies like a temenos, a sacred, protected space that shields the relationship from the anxieties of the outside world. In the background, fluid brushstrokes evoke the emotional weight and daily struggles that every #caregiver faces to safeguard this bond. The painting acts as a transcendent function, capable of transforming vulnerability into a regenerative force for the soul.” Milena Sgambato
“In the painting ‘Ci abbracciammo’ (We Embraced), 2024, the artist @milena.sgambato translates one of the most universal and visceral human gestures—the act of holding and supporting one another—into the medium of paint. The image fosters introspection, psychological internalization, and insight (#videoinsight). It relaxes the mind, lowers defenses, bypasses censorship, breaks rigid patterns, induces a meditative state, and evokes an emotional resonance. The fluid and energetic use of acrylic, its rapid drying time, and the instinctive, dynamic brushwork powerfully represent life itself: uncontrollable, indefinable, in motion, imperfect, and at times blurred. The layered composition and the interplay of sheer and textured color fields reveal human figures that are not hyper-realistic, thereby facilitating projection, mirroring, regression, and identification. The two women in this connection seem to emerge from a background that is, in itself, a state of mind; they tend to dissolve or merge with the surrounding space, emphasizing the interconnection between their bodies and the physical and emotional environment.
The work’s title, conjugated in the passato remoto (a past tense denoting a completed action in the distant past—‘We Embraced’), evokes the memory of a closeness and intimacy that has become indelible. The gesture of the #embrace transcends a simple display of affection to become a true archetype of mutual support. Two figures wrap themselves in a firm hold, where the boundaries between the one giving support and the one receiving it become intentionally blurred.
The scene conveys bodily, tactile sensations. It is a visual representation of #empathy, where physical closeness facilitates the release of tension and the sharing of emotional burdens. Through a color palette…” …nuanced and vibrant; the painting depicts not merely a moment, but the sense of protection and relief that the moment evokes.
The work—a visual parable about the fundamental need for care—reminds us that caregiving is not a one-sided act or an act of self-effacement, but a reciprocal relationship.” Rebecca Russo
