Italian artist and illustrator Marco Mazzoni opened a solo show last night with Galleria Patricia Armocida in Milan, Italy. As we mentioned in the preview for this show, this is Marco’s 1st solo show in a city where he has been working and living in for years. Along with medium-scale colored pencil paper drawings, moleskin paper drawings, and a site-specific installation that was announced for this show, the artist had another three mini moleskine books exhibited with three drawings that matched the theme and the spirit of this show. Displayed as an open sketchbook, these gave us a clear and direct look into where and how his artwork is being made.
The whole body of work was carefully arranged and displayed as a dialogue – bigger, more complex pieces were in one part of the gallery, giving visitors a chance to enjoy both the incredible detail, unique color, and light effect that Mazzoni’s work is known for. There were also medium size darker works, showing heads of female figures mysticaly blending in with the floral decorations around them. Along with the site specific installation, these drawings were the centerpieces of the show, representing Janas and Cogas, female figures who according to Sardinian beliefs, seduce, enchant, curse, and heal.
With many works showing birds in the process of feeding or building nests, an installation was built of nine white birdhouses – all connected with a thick red thread, – which fit the show perfectly. The burgundy thread evokes blood and life – and coming out of each of birdhouse holes and culminating in a tangle, it can be seen as a nest, or home, built outside these man-made objects. The entire installation represents man’s interaction with the Nature, and was successful in transferring the feeling of the drawings into the gallery space.
Finally, the smaller drawings and mini Moleskine sketchbooks were in the last “part” of the show. Mostly showing fragile, tiny animals from all over the world, with some strange and sometimes hard to notice abnormalities on their bodies or behavior, these piece were very popular with Milanese art lovers that came to the opening yesterday, and made this opening a great success both for the artist and the gallery. The show will be on view until May 4th, 2013.
Photo credit: Andrea Concina for Arrested Motion.
Discuss Marco Mazzoni here.
