Valentina Neri's First Solo Show at Guidi&Schoen Transforms Microscopic Particles into Cosmic Galaxies

Valentina Neri (b. 1991, Milan) presents her first solo exhibition at Guidi&Schoen in Genoa, featuring 20 new photographic works that paradoxically depict vast galactic spaces derived from microscopic materials. The artist, who studied at the Istituto d'Arte di Monza and the Scuola di Fotografia Cfp Bauer in Milan, shifts from her previous focus on Drag Queen nightlife at Milan's Toilet Club (2014–2016) to a laboratory-based practice examining metals, human and animal tissues, molds, and dusts. The exhibition title, "Oh Be A Fine Girl, Kiss Me," references the mnemonic for stellar classification (OBAFGKM) based on surface temperature and color. A video installation by Augusto Bondio with music by Luca Formentini (from the album "Scintilla") complements the show, featuring a looped NASA transmission. Neri's 2018 book "Almanacco Toilet Club" was selected for the Photo Text Book Award at Arles in 2019. The exhibition marks her transition from a recognized technician to a fully-fledged artist with a personal aesthetic.