Maicol & Mirco's First Retrospective Reveals the Artist Behind the Duo

On July 8, 2017, the Museolaboratorio Ex Manifattura Tabacchi in Città Sant'Angelo, Pescara, opened the first retrospective of Maicol & Mirco, the pseudonym for artist Michael Rocchetti. Titled "Maicol è Mirco," the exhibition runs until September 2 and features works spanning from 2010 to 2017, including drawings, paintings, and videos. Rocchetti claims the title is a typo, not a revelation of identity. The show includes works by other artists, described as "guests" in his creative "asylum." The venue, a former tobacco factory, has been a creative home for Rocchetti since 2000, blending museum and laboratory functions. He describes it as a "haunted house." Rocchetti's minimalist installation reflects his philosophy of "doing much with little." His creative process is spontaneous and prolific, producing works in industrial quantities before posthumously selling and recontextualizing them. Recent books include "Palla Rossa e Palla Blu" and "Il papà di Dio" for Bao Publishing, targeting children and adults respectively. He finds it easier to communicate with children, calling adults "children with delusions of grandeur." His theatrical work is handled by Teatro Rebis, where he acts as a spectator of his own stories. Rocchetti declines to discuss future projects, citing troubles of past and present. The interview was conducted by Valerio Veneruso.