IMMIGRATION: THE NEW GENERATION
FEBRUARY 24 - APRIL 23, 2022
ON SHOW AT
ESPINASSE31 MILANO
To mark the 60th anniversary of the twinning of the cities of São Paulo and Milan, Flavio Rossi has designed a mural and a sculpture that invite us to reflect on the significance of immigration, which has profoundly marked the history of the two countries in both the emigration and reception phases. The artist wants to focus attention on the positive value of human movements, which are a source of exchange,
growth and transformation, with the awareness that the world being built today will be the one that future generations will inherit.
In the works presented in Immigration: the new generation Flavio insists on the concept of fragmentation, exchange and fusion in a more existential dimension. The cultural melting pot also stems from the excess of visual information we receive every day in a globalized and digitalized world, from the constant scrolling of our mobile phones to the myriad of announcements on social networks and in the streets, which are mixed and dense until they form a single perceived reality. This infinity of inputs forces our brain to reorder everything and create a meaningful connection. The artist thus works by capturing images in photos, videos, TV, magazines, etc., which are completely dismembered and returned in a unique, almost organic pictorial form.
Flavio Rossi, Anatomia, 2022. 146 x 126 cm. Acrylic on canvas
Flavio Rossi, Revolutions, 2022. 147 x 141 cm. Acrylic on canvas
Starting from figurative and pop bases, Flavio owes his inspiration to great masters such as Lucien Freud, Yue Minjun and Francis Bacon, until he reaches a totally personal elaboration of both technique and pictorial image. He concentrates mainly on the body, to the point of breaking it down and recomposing it in surreal collages through painting, in a composition of contrasting and jarring emotions and expressions, as if through the lens of a prism. The free and pressing rhythm at the basis of his artwork also stems in part from a musical influence, from Flavio Rossi's passion for jazz. A genre that also inspires the artist because of its cultural values of reaffirmation of identity and resistance to dominant conventions. The artist has always been sensitive to the most pressing social issues such as immigration and cultural integration, issues that he reflects on above all in his works of urban art.
About the artist
Flavio Rossi (1979, São Paulo, Brazil) has a diploma in fine arts from Puc - Campinas, starting his artistic career as an illustrator and then moving on to painting and sculpture. Famous for his murals all over the world, Flavio has been celebrated by the press for the mural he created in 2016 in collaboration with Ron Wood for the BBC-produced documentary "Ole ole ole" about the Rolling Stones' Latin American tour. Flavio has participated in several international fairs, such as the Red Dot in Miami with the contemporary art gallery Espinasse31 and his works are part of numerous private collections in different parts of the world.
"I was the first artist of the residency, having the pleasure of opening this beautiful movement! Surely, after Antonio! For me, it is not always easy to start producing in a new space, especially because it takes some time to imprint that energy in a creative space like an atelier, but the experience was indeed very pleasant. I was supported by the professional attention and generosity of the friendship of Antonio, his family, the artists involved and all the team that worked in the construction of Espinasse31.
Flavio Rossi
Flavio Rossi, Meditation, 2022. 146 x 126 cm (56.94 x 49.14 in). Acrylic on canvas
