Julio Villani's Playful Universe Explored in São Paulo Exhibitions

Two simultaneous exhibitions of Julio Villani's work were presented in São Paulo from June to August this year. 'Alinhavai' at Raquel Arnaud and 'Por um fio' at Galeria Estação featured recent works including the 'Collapsible Architecture' series, which transforms rigid drawings into flexible objects addressing instability and collapse. Villani's creative universe, inspired by line and thread, includes sculptures suspended from wires and embroideries on vintage Parisian flea market linens, revealing a convergence between his life and work. His methodology involves compartmentalized production processes across his São Paulo and Paris studios, utilizing Japanese paper as a structural foundation for his paintings. Villani's broad repertoire incorporates interventions on anonymous French photographs, creating new meanings through painting and cutting, with parallels drawn to Dada poetry. The 'Por um Fio' exhibition transformed everyday objects like watering cans, pans, and ladles into toys and art, inspired by Brazilian craft traditions and referencing Marcel Duchamp's readymades. Villani continuously produces on two continents, with these São Paulo shows joining others held in France this year, including a solo exhibition at Galerie RX in Paris and the collective '...Et l’Obscur' at the Thoronet Abbey in Provence.