ALESSANDRO FOGO

Selected works 2018

1

Nigredo, Albedo, RubedoThree steps in the matter transformation

The investigation of the Painting evocative power is the central core of my research.I feed myself with images, representations and whatever artefact able to survive to the owing of time leaving a sediment in reality as a relique of a past never passed.My interest has an archeologist nature, that leads me to discover and collect these traces, coming from different antique civilizations, based on a easy and single crite-rion or condition: Being trace and/or direct consequence of the timeless atempt of human beings to comunicate with a higher reality, an oniric world of myths and faiths, beliefs and religions, as natural and necessary manifestation of his own nature.In this omnivorous process the Painting takes place as a catalyst for the making of images and objects which stand on a strange alchemy becoming universal, leaving behind time and space coordinates.The paintings, like the sculptures, are the result of a several steps layering process.Time after time objects, surfaces and spacial coordinates disappear and appear again leaving clearly their own traces till reaching the paradox, or to better say a metaphy-sic stasis situation where the subject blends with its own habitat till become a pure tool necessary to the idea.What mainly interest me is giving a sensation, make a situation, where the viewer loses himself in looking and at the same time feeling an unsettling extraneousness: the image is always cynical and together full of pathos. In my work the light plays a fundamental role: the scenes time by time reveal themselves, , crossed by a sparse light, crepuscolar, where the borders uncover their gentle and net roundness. The light helps to “discover” in reading the steps and the elements.I could de ne the compositions and the enviroments in my paintings as circus more real than reality with Fellini’s reminiscences.Often the enviroments remind of magic rooms, rituals, where objects-presences are in a silent dialogue. Objects that remind of myths and beliefs, magical vases, the fa-mous Uroboros snake which belong to the alchemical tradition, cactus and vegetation that become sculptural presence, and cerimonial texture and textiles coming from the far East as from prehistoric precolombian civilities. Everything is real and fake at the same time, the leopard skin become trash carpet, a plant become sculpture, animal furs destined to love each other binded to a structure which avoid every motion, vases and chandeliers melted with several material steps to lose in its shape and be-come living presence of a dead and synthetic material.Oxymorphic tensions hold their existences, live or dead, real or fake, holy or profane.My obsession meet at last time by time with the same take of consciousness, the truth of the heaviness of matter, the artefact as acces key to the aura dimension but useless in its beauty and materiality.My work is a research to the universal archetype, a path of ingestion and sedimenta-tion of symbols and images ready to disappear and leave only their trace.“For psicologic experience these are archetypical content of the collective uncon-scious, what remains,the same in all the human beings, of an ancient humanity, the common hereditary heritage and intact from any differentiation or evolution, given to human beings as the night, the sun and the air.”1

1 Transformation of Libido, C. G. JUNG, C G Jung Bookstore & Library, 1994

2

(previous page) INSTALLATION VIEW Alessan-dro Fogo in de Bourlaschouwburg,

The Cloack of the Shaman, 90 x 120 cm, Oil on canvas, 2017

Chandelier, 30 x 37 x 49 cm mixed media, 2017

INSTALLATION VIEW Alessandro Fogo in de Bourlaschouwburg, Bear Ritual, 160 x 200 cm,

Oil on linen, 2017Holy Flemish egg, 38 x 33 x 90 cm, Mixed me-

dia 2016-2017

3

INSTALLATION VIEW Alessandro Fogo in de Bourlaschouwburg,

Ouroboros egg, 70 x 80 cm, Oil on linen, 2017Feathered vase, 37 x 25 x 30 cm, Mixed media

2017

Chandelier,28 x 38 cm , Pastel on paper, 2017

4

St. George and the cactus

60 x 80 cmOil on canvas2017

5

The cloack of the shaman

90 x 120 cmOil on canvas2017

6

The magic room of Ouroboros

180 x 200 cmOil on linen2016-2017

7

Bear ritual

160 x 200 cmOil on linen2017

8

Holy egg of Tezcatlipoca wanted

160 x 200 cmOil on linen2017

9

In the beginning

268 x 280 cmOil on linen2017

10

The panther game (at night)

140 x 150 cmOil on linen2017

11

Lost in the carpet

49,5 x 59,5 cmOil on linen2017

12

Ouroboros egg

70 x 80 cmOil on linen2017

13

African idol

30 x 40 cmOil on canvas2017

14

3 objects on a ground

24 x 30 cmOil on linen2016-2017

15

Lost in the carpet #2

33 x 38 cmOil on linen2017

16

The Knight

30 x 40 cm (without frame) Engraving2017

17

Still life from a living room (dyptic), 25 x 35 cm (without frame) each, Engraving2017

18

The cow and the monkey,30 x 20 cm, Oil on canvas, 2016

19

Rest of a living room

200 x 150 x 120 cmMixed media2017

Still life

Still life, is a setting that I made specificly for the Winter Zaal at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. I set a series of objects and sculptures as if it would be a magical still life. All these objects are the result of a long process of stratification of seve-ral materials (foam, plaster, wax, resin, ceramic,clay), starting from par-ts or entire objects that I collected which had particular reminesces of an-tique civilities. Everything is played between real and fake, live or dead. At the last step, the objects have been painted as if they need to get prepared for a holy ritual, or simply for a sacred conversation.

20

Still life

Installation view, Winter Zaal, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, BE2017

21

Still life

Installation view, Winter Zaal, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, BE2017

22

Chandelier

30 x 37 x 49 cmmixed media2017

23

Feathered vase

37 x 25 x 30 cmMixed media2017

24

Holy Flemish egg

38 x 33 x 90 cmMixed media2016-2017

25

Walking pyramid

100 x 70 x 95 cmmixed media2017

ALESSANDRO FOGO

CV

Alessandro Fogo (Thiene, 1992). Lives and works between Gent and Antwerp.

Studies

2017 – MA degree in “Painting” at Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, BE2016 - BA degree in “Visual Arts” at IUAV, Venezia, IT2014 - Exchange programme at Colchester School of Art - Painting Atelier, Colchester, UK 2012 - Diploma at “Liceo Artistico sperimentale A.Martini”, Schio (VI), IT

Workshops

2017 - Assistant of the artist Folkert de Jong, for a project for GEM Museum for Contemporary Art, Den Haag 2015 - Visual arts workshop with Luca Trevisani, Venice - visual arts workshop with Agnes Kohlmeyer, Venice2014 - Fine Arts workshop with Claudia Bose at Colchester Institute, Colchester, UK - Painting workshop with Adrian Paci at IUAV, Venice2013 - Visual arts workshop with Liliana Moro at IUAV, Venice - “Mapping our Cosmologies” with Agnes Kohlmeyer at Biennale di Venezia, Venice - Photo practice workshop with Guido Guidi at IUAV, Venice2012 - Visual arts workshop with Mario Airò at IUAV, Venice

Prizes

2018 - 1st Painting Prize, Arte Laguna Prize, selected by Caroline Corbetta and Domenico De Chirico, Arsenale of Venice, Venice, IT

Solo shows

2018 - ABRACADRA, Il Crepaccio Instagram show, curated by Caroline Corbetta, @ILCREPACCIO Instagram2017 - Alessandro Fogo in de Bourlaschouwburg, Toneelhuis, curated by To BE festival, Antwerp, Be

Principal collective exhibitions and Residencies

2018 - Arte Laguna Prize, selected artist by Caroline Corbetta and Domenico De Chirico, Arsenale of Venice, Venice, IT2017 - 101ma Collettiva Giovani artisti, Galleria P.zza San Marco Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, curated by Stefano Coletto, Venice, IT - Marie Louise Rousseau Painting prize, selected artist, Chapelle de Boondael, Brussels, BE - Kunst-Werk, Plein Publiek, curated by Galerie Schoots + Van Duyse, Antwerp, BE - MASTERS, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, curated by Moons Spank, Antwerp, BE2016 - Dolomiti Contemporanee, Villagio ENI, curated by Gianluca d’incà Levis, Borca di Cadore, Belluno, IT - Torchio Folks, Palazzo Carminati Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, curated by Valerio Veneruso, Venice, IT - We Exhibit collective, Weexhibit Srl, curated by Valentina Lacinio, Venice, IT2015 - Premio fabbri, selected artist, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo, Treviso, IT - Meravigliosamente, Artist in residence, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Scicli, Ragusa, IT - Combat Prize, selected artist, Museo civico G.Fattori, Livorno, IT

2014 - Degree show, Hay Gallery, curated by Jane Frederick, Colchester Institute, Colchester, UK - Unreasonable Behavior Part 2(The retreat), curated by Kaavous Clayton, The Minories Galleries, Colchester, UK - Print Fair, Trispace Gallery, London, UK2013 - First prize “Grafica Italiana” national competition, Castello de Peraga, curated by Francesco Anacreonte, Vigonza, Padova, IT - Featuring II Edition, curated by Silvia Contro, Schio, Vicenza, IT 2012 - OH OH OH, IUAV magazzino 7 Ligabue S.Basilio, Venice, IT

Contacts

E-mail: alessandrofogo@libero.it

tel: +39 3407558351 +32 487844723