Filippo Minelli: Travel, Performance, and the Aesthetics of Change
Filippo Minelli, a 33-year-old artist from Brescia now based in Barcelona, uses travel to explore socio-political dynamics. His work spans photography, installation, and performance, often critiquing consumerism and digital versus physical landscapes. In "What Things Are Not" (2016), created during a residency in Saint Petersburg, he overlaid digital images printed on fabric onto physical sites in Saint Petersburg and Moscow. "Contradictions" (2007) juxtaposes corporate logos like Twitter, Microsoft, Apple, and Flickr with grim realities such as battery farms, trash heaps, and slums. "Nonsense Democracy" (2008) retraced an illegal immigration route from Genoa to Timbuktu, painting "Democracy" on a ship in Nouadhibou, Mauritania. "Silence/Shapes" (2009) features colored smoke bombs ignited in natural and urban spaces, inspired by political protests. "Not Hollywood" (2004-) documents found text in landscapes. "Filling Space With Void / Filling Void With Space" (2013-14) archives empty advertising billboards and transforms their dimensions into iron sculptures. "Chemotherapy Update" (2010) documented his cancer treatment via iPhone flyers. Minelli emphasizes performance and the image over formal perfection.
Key facts
- Filippo Minelli is 33 years old and studied New Technologies at Brera.
- He lives in Barcelona but is originally from the province of Brescia.
- His project 'What Things Are Not' (2016) was created during a residency in Saint Petersburg.
- He downloaded images from stock sites like Shutterstock for 'What Things Are Not'.
- The images were printed on fabric and placed in Saint Petersburg and Moscow.
- 'Contradictions' (2007) places corporate logos in contrasting contexts.
- 'Nonsense Democracy' (2008) traces an illegal immigration route from Genoa to Timbuktu.
- He painted 'Democracy' on a ship in Nouadhibou, Mauritania.
- 'Silence/Shapes' (2009) uses smoke bombs in natural and urban settings.
- 'Not Hollywood' (2004-) photographs text found in landscapes.
- 'Filling Space With Void / Filling Void With Space' (2013-14) uses empty billboard dimensions for iron sculptures.
- 'Chemotherapy Update' (2010) documented his chemotherapy via iPhone flyers.
Entities
Artists
- Filippo Minelli
- Angela Madesani
- Silvia Gazzola
Institutions
- Brera
- Artribune
- Shutterstock
Locations
- Brescia
- Barcelona
- Saint Petersburg
- Moscow
- Genoa
- Timbuktu
- Morocco
- Nouadhibou
- Mauritania
- Sorrento
- Poland
- Korea
- Bamako
- Beijing
- Phnom Penh