docStefano MezzArOMa
download 
Report Transcription
Stefano MezzArOMa
Stefano MezzArOMa No jokeS please, we’re italian Stefano MezzArOMa No jokeS please, we’re italian AN EXHIBITION CURATED BY SERENA MORTON CRITICAL ESSAYS BY SOPHIE HASTINGS and DUCCIO TROMBADORI ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE LONDON 29th February - 15th March Il presente catalogo è stato pubblicato in occasione della mostra che si terrà presto l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Londra 29 Febbraio - 15 Marzo This catalogue was prepared for the exhibition which will be held at the Italian Cultural Institute of London 29th February - 15th March ITALIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE 39 Belgrave Square London SWIX 8NX SPECIAL THANKS TO: Francesca Abbiati & Chris Poll Duccio Trombadori Angelo Caligaris © 2012 - Stefano Mezzaroma All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or other without the written permission of copyright owners. Pop goes Contemporary Sophie Hastings StefanoMezzaroma’sworkisgraphicallybrilliantand startlinglybeautifultolookatand,atatimewheninstallationart,videoartandconceptualartarethelingua francaofthecontemporaryartscene,italsoposesquestions.Aboveall:‘Whatdoesitmeantobeacontemporarypopartist?’Mezzaromaisa27-year-oldself-taught artistandcelebratedDJwhosepreoccupationwithimagesfromthemassculturethatsurroundshim,andits expression in collage, found objects, old posters and screen-printing,appearsatfirsttomimicthosegroundbreakingartistsofthe1950sand‘60swhosedrivingimpulse was to move on from the cool detachment of modernismandAbstractExpressionism.Whywoulda young, emerging talent choose to express himself throughagenreofModernArtthathasenduredsince the early 1950s? What gives Pop Art its longevity, its abilitytorecreateitselfandstayrelevantwaybeyond endless tea-towel reproductions of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’ssoupcans?It’sworthlookingatthehistory ofPopArtandthelegacyyoungartistslikeMezzaroma must assume with their continuation of the genre, in ordertoshowthatthenewpopartisascurrent,vital andengagedasiteverwas.Likeperformanceartwhich emergedatthesametime,alsoinreactiontotheformal artofthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury,popartcontinues toflourishasanavant-gardeartformbecauseofitsunflinchingconfrontationwitharapidlychangingworld. PopArtwasfirstidentifiedin1952withthefounding oftheIndependentGroup,intheUK,whichchallenged atraditionalapproachtofineart.Co-foundingartistEduardo Paolozzi presented the band of writers, artists, sculptors,architectsandcriticswithworkmadefrom foundobjects,includinghisnowiconiccollage,‘IWasA RichMan’sPlaything.’Apistolpointingatascantily-clad 1940spin-upemitsapuffofsmokeinwhichtheword ‘pop’appears.Butitwasinthe1960sthatPopArtreally tookoff,withRoyLichtenstein,AndyWarhol,TomWesselman,RobertIndianna,ClaesOldenburgetalinNew York and David Hockney, Patrick Caulfield and Peter BlakeinLondon.The1962showof54popartistsinNew York, ‘The International Exhibition of New Realists,’ broughtthegenreintothemainstreambuttherewasa paradox:PopArtwasavant-gardebutalsocommercial. Could these two things co-exist? Can ‘cheap’ art be goodart;whatdowedowithourperceptionsof‘high’ and‘low’culture?Ofcourse,thisdiscoursewasatthe veryheartofpopart:intimationsofironyandparodyof massculturerenderedit‘high’artbutWarholinparticularseemedmoreseducedthanboredorappalledby hissubjectmatter.Hisblank-eyedgazeandvocalmonotoneseemedtoemphasisehisrefusaltocriticisethe iconographyherepeatedagainandagainuntilwewere blank-eyedourselves;orwashetheembodimentofthe effects of an over-commodified, celebrity-obsessed, media-saturatedcultureonitspeople? Atthesametime,ItalianartistMimmoRotella,who alsotookpartinthe1962NewYorkshow,wasworking onhisownbrandofpopart.Ithadtakenhimyearsto winthecriticsoverbuthistornmovieposterscutfrom billboards with a penknife, along with zinc and metal sheeting,andstuckontocanvas,hitanerveandhis1958 series,Cinecitta,finallygainedhimaninternationalfollowing.DiscoveredandbefriendedbytopFrenchcritic PierreRestanyin1960,hejoinedtheNouveauRealisme groupwhichincludedYvesKlein,Tinguely,Cesar,Spoerri,ArmanandChristo,andmovedtoParis.Heworked withtypography,insettingandsuper-imposingimages, andwentontousepagesofmagazinesdistressedwith solvents,coveringthemwiththegraffitihe’dseenonthe streets.In1990,hewaspartofthe‘HighandLow’exhibitionheldatMOMAinNewYorkandcontinuedtoshow internationally,untilhisdeathin2006.Venuesincluded theNewYorkGuggenheim,theCentrePompidou,the Museum of Contemporary art in LA and the internet, withtheweb’sfirsteverone-man-showinItaly. During Rotella’s exceptionally long career, came a secondgenerationofpopartists:KeithHaring,Kenny Scharf,Futura2000andJean-MichelBasquiataccompaniedbypowerfulnewpaintersDavidSalleandJulian Schnabel;Warholwasstillworking,watchingandcollaborating.Whilethefirstgenerationofpopartistshadrespondedtoanewlysophisticated,post-waradvertising industry, the cartoon strips and superheroes of their youth,Hollywood’stechnicolourextravaganzasandattendantcelebrityculture,andthemundanetugofconsumption, the second wave was not faced with an external barrage but an internal maelstrom. Nowhere wasthismoreevidentthanintheworkofJean-Michel Basquiat.Askedaboutthewordsandphrasesthatlitteredhiscanvases,hesaid‘they’reinmyhead…whenI’m workingIhearthemandjustthrow‘emdown.’When BasquiatandWarholcollaborated,theydefacedeach other’spaintingsandBasquiat’sscribblingonandblockingoutofWarhol’slogoswaseloquentinitsrefusalof theearliersimplicityofpopartandanexpressionofa disturbinglycomplexinternallife. dealwithatimeinwhichnewtechnologyproducesever moregorgeousbaublesforourdelectation;dowejust throwthemawayandbuyagain?Doourchildrensee theiripods/pads/phonesasdesirableandreplaceableas sweets?There’ssomethingsublimelycomfortingabout theJurassicParkimage,reminscentofmoreinnocent timeswhenarticulatedfilm-studiocreatureswerereally scaryandsweetswerepeardrops.Butisn’tnostalgiathe mostinsidiousemotionofthemall? Athirdgenerationofpopartistshashadhalfacenturytoabsorbandinternalisethemassmediaandthere istheadditionoftheinternet,avirtualreplicaoftheinformationoverloadwearelearningtomarshalanddirect.Notonlyarewefacedwithimagesonbillboards andtelevisionscreens,inmagazinesandcinemas,weare sucked into a technological vortex that bombards us withaconstantstreamofvisualstimuli.Artistsengaged withpopularculturehavemorematerialthanevertoexploreand,onewouldimagine,less‘headroom’thanever in which to think. And yet, Mezzaroma’s clean, sharp graphicsandhisharnessingoftechnologygivehiswork adirectnessthatishugelyrefreshing.Whatmakeshis artstandout,ontopofitsvisualimpact,isthesubtext: Mezzaroma’smeaningsarerichlylayeredandheisunafraidofsocialcommentary.In‘Mao,’ablackandwhite photocopyofChairmanMaotakenfromabanknoteis turnedintoasilkscreenandstencilledwiththeGoogle logoandChinesestars.ClearlyacommentonChina’s banning of Google and on its dubious record on free speech,we’realsolookingatthecommodificationofthe faceofCommunism–thinkCastrot-shirtswornbyevery travelleracrosstheglobe,aswellastheproliferationof Maoparaphernaliasnappedupbytourists.Wealsothink ofthenegationofcreativityduringMao’s50-yearCulturalRevolutionandcompareittotherecentarrestsof AiWeiwei.Inacountrywhereartistsareimprisonedfor speaking against the government, ambitious Chinese parentschoosethecareerofartistoverallothersfor theirchildrenbecauseitissowellremuneratedandrespected.Iscontemporaryartseditiousorconformist? ‘Ikea,’ which has a black and white Disney Merlin againstagridofcoloursthatsuggestaDamienHirst spotpainting,tellsusthattheScandanaviansuperstore willbringcolourtoourliveslikemagic.OnceMerlinconsultshisbookofspells–orvisitsIkea–hewillbefilled withcolourtoo.Merlinisoldfashioned,kindly,againreferencinganidealisedpast,buthisgentleposturebelies thehollowpromiseofthesalespitch:weknowIkeafurnitureisanightmaretoconstructandleaveseveryone inafurybutitsshinypotentialisladenwiththedrawof amagicalfuture.‘MaryWillSaveUs,’depictsacut-out oftheinfamouslystrict-but-fairnannyagainstabackdrop of an empty parliament washed with the Italian flag.‘Aspoonfulofsugar’isinscribedacrossthebottom beggingthequestionastothenatureofthemedicine weareobligedtoswallow.Thisemblemofchaste,Edwardian womanhood could not be further from the womenconnectedtotheItalianprimeministerandthe quagmireofhisprivatelife,soistheartisthavingajoke athisexpenseorperhapssuggestingthatthesalacious gossipwearefedisthesugartosweetenthetasteof politicalrealityandstopusaskingtoomanyquestions. Mezzaroma’suseoftheJurassicParklogowihthe wordMicrosoftemblazonedacrossisalsoobviousinits intentionyetunderpinnedwithadeepernarrative.The constant development of technology renders today’s brandnewcomputertomorrow’sdinosaur;howdowe ‘TaxiCola,’standsslightlyoutsidethisbodyofwork. Less graphic, more painterly, with its Jackson Pollock spotsandsplashesonagrainyblackandwhitefilmstill, thisimageismoreambiguousthantheothers.Itisuncomfortabletoberemindedofproductplacementwhen we’rebusymakingassociationswithafilmthathassuch emotional resonance, and the ‘RC’ logo seems out of placenexttoDeNiro’smoody,insularfigure.Butgraffiti isn’tsupposedtobeeasy,thefilmitselfisbeyonduncomfortableandtheartworkisbeautiful.Asmuchasmeaning canbefoundandsocialcritiqueisintentional,Mezzaroma makes,aboveall,visuallyarresting,powerfulwork.Whereverhegoesfromhere,asayoungleaderofthethird generationofpopartists,willbeafascinatingjourney. The Parody of Today’s World Duccio Trombadori Wearepleasedtoaccompanytheinsightfuleyeof ‘Steve’StefanoMezzaroma.Throughhisarthemanipulateswitheaseandlooseironythestereotypesofour more than tested consumer civilization. Gifted with spontaneousexpressivenessSteveinspirationallycombinesadvertisingmessaging,topicalinformationandlatest fashion to make his art both a statement and a commentaryontoday.Hisartbecomescinema,photographyandtelevisionallinonecontemporaryimagery. Avant-gardeexperimentalismdistancedcultureandsociety.Newtechnologiestodaybridgesthegapwiththe intelligenceofdigitalprogramsandthefusionofdifferentlanguagesthatoftenfailtocommunicatethetrue meaning. Byflexingandinter-minglingofthesedifferentmediums, thedirectlifeexperienceisfilteredbyStevethroughallusionsthatimmerseinthecollageofsnapshots,specialeffectsandphotoshop thatenhancefictionandexpandboth imaginationandunderstanding,makingitcollidewithreality.Fromtheforestofsymbolsofcommercialcivilization, Steve‘smile’humourouslycombinesanumberofpoignant metaphors to help the observer understand the serious issueofwhatisrequiredto‘savetheworld’.Theresultisa kaleidoscopeofwittyappearancesthatreplacesthefairy talewiththecoldnessofpop insignia.Artbecomesanexpressionofrealismandpracticallityandinviteseveryoneto joininajourneythroughtheidolsofourtime. ItisarealityexperienceofAlice‘slookingglassthatuncoversanddeciphers:thecoversoffashion magazines, advertising signs, flashes of events, crimes news and sports,movietrailers,videoscripts,wars,tracesoflife,sex, loveanddeathinboththevirtualandrealversions. ThisiconographymemorizedbyStevereferstothe mostrecentfilmheritage:theshowbeginswithSteven Spielberg,withtheimagethatassociatesthecaducity oftheMicrosoft brandintheshadowprofileofTyrannosaurusrecoveredfromJurassic Park.Itisnotconincidencethatthesearefollowedbythesilhouetteofthe villain Darth Vader, dark lord of the universe of ‘Star Wars’ silouettedwithhisswordonafluorescentbackground. Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen enter the fray,framedbytheoverlaidsilhouetteofWallStreetbull: toremindusthat‘moneyneversleepsandoftencharges on relentlessly at the expense of a dense network of blood-stainedhandscausingthebackgroundofposters facestosmileapathetically.Then‘enter’theflowingsilhouette ofMaryPoppinswithherumbrellahoveringover the semicircle of Italian Parliament (white, red and green)tosealtheemblematicandalludingrefrain‘just a spoonful of sugar…‘. Inventionandcreativityarenotreducedtoinlaidfiguresextractedfromthescreenandcomputer:Soasto avoidvisualsterility,Stevemanipulatestheimageson the silkscreen canvas, by painting ‘interventions‘ with goldspray,cuttingandpastingofthewrittenwordand geometricshapesthatintersectwithinter-communicatinglines.Byplayingwiththeidolsandiconsofourtime, hefondlesthemandsomehowuncoversandthenexorcisestheirpowerandinfluence:-BinLadenendsupwith adummyinhismouthtoadvertisediapers,ortetragonal figuresofChinesecommunismasMaoTse-dunisabsorbedbytheapprovalsignofGoogleViewdata.While AlbertEinstein,thesacredmonsterofscienceandemblemofantomasia‘homosapiens’,laughsandsticksout hislongyellowtonguetherebyadvertisingintheform oftheChiquitabananagourmandmonkey;Thenbyduplicatedbyaphotograph,MikeTyson,kingofphysical forceappliedtoboxing,actuallyhasnootherrivalthan themenacingimageofhimself. By this unconventional witnessing of the strange metamorphosesofthemodernage,Stevetakestheobserver through the weave of symptomatic anagrams thatplayimagesagainstwords.ThefigureofQueenElizabethII(whogametitlestotheBeatles -onytoberejectedbyJohnLennon)appearswithaFreddyMercury stylemoustacheandwiththefatefulcorusofGod Save the Queen, that highlights the ambiguously between two.Halfwaybetweenanecdoteandmoralizingirony, parody and celebration, Steve’s journey continues throughthemountainofproductsconsumedbyacivilizationofimages:ritualsandmyths,thesacredandthe profane,scienceandmagic,allheldinthemeltingpot ofaculturecapableofassimilatingandculpableinmakingeveryvaluerelative. Thestarkcomparisonbetweenrealandvirtualworld ruledbyadvertising,Steverevealstheessentialfeatures ofwhatourculturehasbecome:byplayingwithambiguitybetweentext,imageandcaricaturethatinvolves themythesofcertainsex symbols (AngelinaJolie)orif themega-apparatusesoffurnishingprêt a porter (Ikea andHermes).So,theremakeoftheversoofcollective infatuations is proposed again even when the author makes a psycho-autobiographical control of his emotionalworld.Thehumorousandsinceredescriptionof My World resultsfromthis-asortofimaginaryimaging triparoundhisroom,wheretheterrestrialglobeisconstellatedsimultaneouslybydreams,desires,thingsseen andhoped. Theattemptatparodyisexpressedinthe‘diaryin public’.HeretheagilemodernfilmherofigureofLupin arises,andcombineswithimagestakenfromcomics, art,historyandnews:ratherlikethehandsofAdamand theLordontheDay of Creation drawnbyMichelangelo; Raphael’scherubsdoubledbytwowingedfiguresob- tained from the Simpson cartoon and as the striking backgroundofanight-timeNewYork,associatedwith thefamousimageofworkerswhobuiltthegloriesofthe Thirties,suspendedinequilibriumfromaskyscraperin construction.Such‘selfportrait’couldnotclosewithout illuminatingwithafrankmoralitythefootball champion FrancescoTotti,idolofsportscrowdsintheRomeofour yearsandanexamplerealizedbyanexuberantyouth,. Meticulous and capable observers can combine all typesofvisualstimulithroughSteve’simaginativeeye thatwritesinformationforanunlimitedandalwaysenjoyedinvestigationsimultaneouslyinthousandsoffacets ofour‘Global Village’.Theconclusionfromthisabstract viewofthepandemoniumofanerais‘signifying nothing‘ -toquotethewordsthatShakespeareputinthemouth of Macbeth. The end of morality is suggested with a smile on the lips to define the intelligent easiness of Steve’scriticalspirit,whichcreativelymakesprecisethe persuasiveandpoeticfocusofastyleanda‘wayofseeing’. Tutto il Mondo in una Parodìa Duccio Trombadori Ci facciamo volentieri accompagnare dall’occhio prensiledi‘Steve’-StefanoMezzaroma-chemanipola conleggerezzaescioltaironiaglistereotipidellanostra piùchecollaudataciviltàdeiconsumi.Dotatodispontaneaespressivitàegliutilizzalosfavillantedispositivo dellamacchinapubblicitaria,dellamodaedellacomunicazionefacendoilversoallafabbricadeisogni-cinema,fotografia,televisione-chealimental’immaginario contemporaneo. Dopo gli sperimentalismi di avanguardia,chedistanziavanoculturaesocietàdimassa, oggiildivarioèridottoconlenuovetecnologie,l’intelligenzadeiprogrammidigitalielacontaminazionedei diversilinguaggi. Grazie alla flessibilità dei mezzi espressivi, l’esperienzadirettadellavitaèfiltratadaSteveperallusioni: cisiimmergenelgiardinofioritodelleistantanee,degli effettispecialiediphotoshop cheesaltanolafinzione finoafarlacoincidereconlarealtà.DallaforestadisimbolidellaciviltàcommercialeStevericavametaforecon unaeffervescentecapacitàcombinatoria.Ildioramafigurativopuntaa‘salvareilmondo’grazieall’incantodiun semplicesorriso.Nerisultauncaleidoscopiodiargute apparizionichesostituiscelafavolaallafreddezzadella insegnapop.Grazieaquestoaccorgimentoesteticola fantasìa doppia la realtà come invito ad un viaggio sapienzialeattraversogliidolidelnostrotempo. Lo sguardo si impegna allora malcerto e incantato comequellodiAlicedifronteaduna‘Wonderland’ tutta dadecifrare:copertinedirivistefashion,insegnepubblicitarie, flash di cronaca nera e sportiva, trailer cinematografici,elaborativideo,guerre,traccedivita,sesso, amoreemortenellaversionevirtualeeinquelladellarealtà.L’iconografiamemorizzatadaStevefariferimento alpatrimoniocinematograficopiùrecente:lospettacolo iniziaconStevenSpielberg,conl’immaginecheassocia la caducità del marchio Microsoft al profilo-ombra del TirannosauroripresodaJurassik Park.Seguepoinona casolasagomadelcattivoDarthVader,signoreoscuro dell’universodi‘Guerre stellari’,chesistagliaconlasua spadasudiunosfondofluorescente.Ecompaionoanche Michael Douglas e Charlie Sheen, incorniciati dalla sagomasovrappostadeltorodiWall Street:aricordarci che‘ildenaronondormemai’,comenell’omonimoultimo film,aspesediunafittaretedimaniinsanguinatechefa dasfondoaivoltidaposter conilloroapaticosorriso.Per nonparlare,poi,dellasvolazzantesilhouette diMaryPoppins,chealeggiacolsuoombrellosull’emiciclodelparlamento italiano (in bianco, rosso e verde) a suggello dell’emblematicoquantoallusivoritornello‘just a spoonful of sugar…’. L’invenzioneelacreativitànonsiriduconoall’intarsio di figure sottratte allo schermo ed al computer: per evitarelasterilitàvisivaStevemanipolaleimmaginiin serigrafiasutela,coninterventipittoricicheprediligono ilcoloredell’orodiffusoaspruzzo,ilritaglioel’inserzione di scritte e figure geometriche, la stesura di fondi screziatidalineediinterferenza,acommentodellacomposizione.L’autoregiocacongliidolidellacontemporaneità,livezzeggiaeinqualchemodoneesorcizzail potere:accadecosìchepersonaggitenebrosicomeBin Ladenfinisconoconunciuccettoinboccaareclamizzare i pannolini Pampers; o che figure tetragone del chiusocomunismocinesecomeMao-tse-dun,sonoassorbite dal segno omologante della comunicazione telematica di Google. Mentre Albert Einstein, mostro sacrodellascienzaedemblemaperantonomasiadell’ homo sapiens,selaridecacciandofuoriunalinguaccia giallaereclamizzacomeunagolosascimmiettalabananaChiquita;quandononèlavoltadiMikeTyson,re della forza fisica applicata alla boxe, che sembra non avere altro rivale che la minacciosa immagine di sé stesso,duplicatadaunafotografia. Un po’ scanzonato, un po’ testimone delle strane metamorfosideltempomoderno,Steveintrecciaanche un sintomatico gioco di anagrammi tra immagine e parola,quandolafiguradellaReginaElisabettaII(che nominòbaronettiiBeatles)sipresentaconunpaiodi baffettiallaFreddyMercuryeconlascrittafatidicaGod save the Queen,dovequest’ultimaparolastaambiguamenteadindicaretantolaReginad’Inghilterraquantolo storicocomplessodeiQueen cheaccompagnavalarock star inglese. A metà strada tra l’ aneddoto e l’ ironia moraleggiante,laparodìaelacelebrazione,ilviaggiodi Steveprocedeedilsuoistintofigurativosiconfrontacon l’immaneammassodiprodottiadusoeconsumodella civiltàdelleimmagini:ritiemiti,sacroeprofano,scienza emagìa,tuttositienenelcrogiolodiunaculturacapace diassimilareerelativizzareognivalore. Nelparagonestringentetramondorealeevirtuale, governatodallapubblicità,Steverivelaitrattiessenziali di una cultura: come quando gioca di ambiguità tra testo,immagineecaricatura,echiamaincausailmitodi certisex symbol (AngelinaJolie)oppuredeimega-apparatidell’arredamentoedelprêt à porter (IkeaedHermès). Questo modo di rifare il verso alle infatuazioni collettivesiriproponeanchequandol’autoreeffettuail controllopsico-autobiograficodelsuomondoemotivo. NerisultalaspiritosaesinceradescrizionediMy World, una specie di viaggio immaginario attorno alla sua stanza,dovel’immaginedelgloboterrestreècostellata insimultaneadasogni,desideri,cosevisteesperate. La tentazione della parodìa ha sempre la meglio anchenel‘diarioinpubblico’.Edallorarisaltal’agilefigurettadiLupin, eroedelfilmd’animazione,inuncombinatofigurativopresodaifumetti,dall’arte,dallastoriae dallacronaca:comelemanidiAdamoedelSignorenel Giorno della Creazione trattedaMichelangelo;comegli amoriniraffaelleschidoppiatidaduefigurealatericavate dalcartoon deiSimpson;ecomelosfondoallusivodi unaNewYorkilluminatadinotte,associataall’immagine famosa degli operai che ne edificarono le glorie negli anni Trenta, sospesi in bilico da un grattacielo in costruzione. A coronare un simile ‘autoritratto’ non poteva non campeggiare il campione di foot-ball FrancescoTotti,idolodellefollesportivenellaRomadei nostrianni,qualeesempiorealizzatodiunagioventùesuberanteeilluminatadafrancamoralità. Osservatoremeticolosoecapacediagglutinareogni generedistimolovisivo,l’occhiofantasiosodiSteveannotainformazioniperunaillimitataesempredivertita indagineinsimultaneasuimillevoltidelnostro‘Global Village’.Nerisultal’effettodiunagarbatapresadidistanzadalpandemoniodiun’epoca‘signifying nothing’, per citare l’espressione che Shakespeare mise sulla boccadiMacbeth.Edèproprioilfondodimoralitàsuggeritacolsorrisosullelabbraadefinirel’intelligenteleggerezzadellospiritocriticodiSteve,checosìprecisa creativamentel’accentopersuasivoepoeticodiunostile ediuna‘manieradivedere’. OPERE / WORKS DON’TLOOK@ME-2008-110x140cm mixed technique on canvas DANTE-2006-160x151cm mixed technique on canvas BIGBABOL-2008-110x140cm mixed technique on canvas ALBERT-2012-135x100cm mixed technique on canvas LANDROVER-2008-150x120cm mixed technique on canvas MICROSOFT-2011-110x160cm mixed technique on canvas THANKYOUEVE-2010-90x110cm mixed technique on canvas MAO-2011-130x130cm mixed technique on canvas FREDDYMERCURYTRIBUTE-2011-145x120cm mixed technique on canvas TAXICOLA-2011-140x100cm mixed technique on canvas OSAMA-2011-135x100cm mixed technique on canvas NOWJUMP-2011-110x140cm mixed technique on canvas TOOEASYTOFIX-2011-135x120cm mixed technique on canvas WALLSTREET-2011-110x140cm mixed technique on canvas MYWORLD-2010-147x147cm mixed technique on canvas MARYWILLSAVEUS-2012-80x110cm mixed technique on canvas ENERGIZER-2010-145x145cm mixed technique on canvas CHEGUEVARA-2008-130x100cm mixed technique on canvas BORNBIG-2008-150x100cm mixed technique on canvas THENOID-2011-130x100cm mixed technique on canvas HERMES-2011-80x120cm mixed technique on canvas I’MYOURFATHER-2011-200x150cm mixed technique on canvas GOODMORNING-2011-100x150cm mixed technique on canvas CALL115-2011-70x200cm mixed technique on canvas FORZAITALIA-2011-100x130cm mixed technique on canvas DON’TKNOW-2008-160x180cm mixed technique on canvas MAROCCO-2007-196x214cm mixed technique on canvas GIORGIOARMANI-2006-180x200cm mixed technique on canvas private collection TOTEM-2008-66x220cm mixed technique on canvas BIOGRAPHY As a child Stefano was encouraged to paint and draw and enjoyed regular trips to the cinemawithhisfather.Filmshavecometoplay animportantpartinhisart,inwhichheoften reuses old movie posters bought at flea markets.Hehasdevelopedauniquehybridof both artistic media and subject matter by marrying iconic figures from popular culture withcommercialbrandsandhumour.Though heuseselementsmaderecognisablebyother artists such as Andy Warhol and Mimmo Rotella, Stefano has created a signature aestheticwhichhasbroughtPopArtintothe twentyfirstcentury. Stefano Mezzaroma, at only 27 years old, has forgedasuccessfulcareerasbothaDJandartist. BroughtupinRome,acitysteepedinhistory,it wasnotuntilheattendeduniversityinMilanthat Stefanowasfullyexposedtoavibrantsceneof international, contemporary culture. Whilst studying Economics at Bocconi University he begantoproduceHousemusicandpaintinhis spare time. Painting for intense periods whilst listeningtomusic,hestartedtoexperimentwith newartisticmediaincludingspraypaint,collage, screenprintinganddigitalmanipulation.Though Stefano has no formal training he was able to develophisownuniquestylewhichhedescribes as‘ContemporaryPopArt’. In2011Stefanowasselectedtoshowworkin theItalianPavillionatthe54th VeniceBiennale. This coincided with his largest solo show to date,whichwasentitled‘Rewind’andheldat SpazioUndergroundinRome.Aselectionof workbytheartistisonpermanentdisplayat the Hausammann Gallery in Cortina D’Ampezzo.Collectorsofhisworkincludethe illustrious Italian designer Giorgio Armani. HavingexhibitedwidelyinItalyandinafew locationsinternationallysuchasMonacoand StPetersburg,theartistnowhopestobringhis worktoawideraudience. www.stefanomezzaroma.com
