Matteo Attruia: Two Shows at Galleria Massimodeluca in Venice

Italian artist Matteo Attruia staged two simultaneous exhibitions, 'A Flower for Piet' and 'Sold Out', at Galleria Massimodeluca in Venice in 2018. The dual-show format was driven by a sense of inadequacy and a desire to fill the gallery's architecture more easily, though it paradoxically required double the work. In 'A Flower for Piet', Attruia attempted painting for the first time, choosing a flower as subject—a nod to Mondrian, who painted flowers to pay bills. The work is a single large flower, presented without showing the process. 'Sold Out' involved a text by curator Daniele Capra, who agreed to write without prior knowledge of the project, resulting in a confessional letter addressing the peculiarities of Attruia's work and their relationship. The exhibitions explore themes of success, failure, ambition, and irony, with Attruia using humor to accept both achievement and its limits. The shows were documented by photographer N. Covre.