Francesco Vezzoli
Francesco Vezzoli
The Work
Callas' laser-printed face is repeated sixty-three times on canvas. Seven horizontal rows, nine shots each. Each black and white frame is cropped round, within the whiteness of the medium marked by a light wood frame. Light blue metallic embroidery weaves the eyelashes in an artifice of make-up: this is the face on stage, the face of the stage. It is not the Callas woman, but the Callas diva. She is the Traviata, even when she is not singing the Traviata, says the artist
Per sessantatré volte si ripete il volto stampato laser su tela. Sette file orizzontali, nove scatti ciascuna. Ogni fotogramma in bianco e nero è ritagliato tondo, dentro il biancore del supporto marcato da una leggera cornice in legno chiaro. Il ricamo metallico azzurro intesse le ciglia in un artificio di make-up: questo è il volto in scena, il volto di scena. Non è la donna Callas, ma la diva Callas. È la Traviata, anche quando non canta la Traviata, dice l’artista
Biography
Francesco Vezzoli (Brescia, 1971) is one of the most successful contemporary Italian artists in the world. His artistic production is characterized by a synergistic blend of ancient forms of expression, such as sculpture and the iconography of the Italian tradition, and modern media, such as video installations, photographs and laser prints on canvas. The dialogue between these different expressive languages is reflected in the artist's eclectic poetics: the solemnity of classical culture merges with the media fugacity of pop culture. Today's imagery and the power of contemporary popular culture allow Vezzoli to question the vulnerability of human characters and the ambiguity of truth. Challenging is the complex texture of references to high and low culture, ranging from art history to cinema, from literature to music.