Maurizio Vetrugno's 'Wild Life Wild Heat' at Pitti Immagine Filati 91

Maurizio Vetrugno (Turin, 1957) presents 'Wild Life Wild Heat' at Pitti Immagine Filati 91 in Florence's Fortezza da Basso, running until July 1, 2022. The exhibition blends masks, Balinese theater, Surrealism, and Andy Warhol's Factory. It is a collaboration between Fondazione Pitti Discovery and the Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci of Prato, curated by Camilla Mozzato. Lapo Cianchi, secretary general of Fondazione Discovery, notes the foundation's two-decade focus on the intersection of fashion and contemporary art, and emphasizes the natural collaboration between institutions, particularly given Prato's industrial and artisanal importance in yarns. Stefano Collicelli Cagol, director of Centro Pecci, highlights the center's interdisciplinary vocation and the synergy with Pitti Filati, a key event for fashion in Italy and globally. Vetrugno was chosen for his ability to navigate diverse artistic languages through a conceptual practice that engages the senses. The works evoke Man Ray's 'La Mode au Congo' but invert it, placing pop icons and rebels within the ceremonial context of Balinese theater, using masks as symbols of celebrity, rebellion, and vanity.