NUDE - DIALOGUE BETWEEN FORMS AND SPACE

SIGNED AND NUMBERED BY ALL THREE ARTISTS – EXCLUSIVE TO OUR GALLERY

Project by Claudia Gobbi

NUDE is inspired by the concept that Dutch architect Willem Jan Neutelings had of his works—buildings that are born "naked," as simple sculptural volumes, later covered by "skins" that provide a new local identity, making them recognizable to society once again. Nearly forty years after its conception, this idea remains highly relevant in today’s urban context, characterized by excessive land consumption and environmental degradation.

The growing presence of abandoned buildings, despite the ongoing construction of new ones, now marks the landscapes of suburbs and the remnants of countryside on the outskirts of cities, creating one of the most striking contradictions brought about by uncontrolled urban expansion.

From these concepts, the NUDE project takes shape, aiming to restore personality to certain disused spaces that still hold a strong evocative power. Over the years, abandonment has led to the loss of their technical functions and social recognition. At the same time, however, it has created a new form of industrial beauty, despite the structures being stripped of all decorative elements.

Colonies, workshops, factories, and an old Soviet ship have thus become the protagonists of new artistic interventions. The modular configurations and interplay of perspectives among these spaces have allowed for a dialogue between artwork and hosting structure. The result is artistic forms that unleash the inventiveness of the artists, creating an intimate conversation between personal perceptions and the character of the buildings.

Selecting locations in Italy—each with a unique history that was fading from the collective memory of the communities around them—three artists embarked on the challenge of breathing new life into these places, following their own artistic poetics and personal sensitivity.

Aris, Taleggio, and Zero used modules and silhouettes to highlight the distinctive features of post-graffiti art. Their work established a fertile, intimate, and innovative dialogue between existing forms and spaces.

These architectural skeletons, much like a fertile canvas, became real artistic palettes that gave space and voice to the structures’ nakedness. Through each artist’s unique stroke, these spaces were reborn. Aris’ silent silhouettes, Taleggio’s surreal color fields, and Zero’s rigorous modules brought about a new and unique form of artistic expression, where the solitude of abandonment dissolves into sinuous forms and geometries dancing on walls that are no longer lifeless.

NUDE, beyond being an exploration and an exercise in style, provided the three artists with an opportunity to create works that were both unique and collective. Through confrontation and simultaneous action, they connected seven different buildings with a distinctive artistic language specifically designed for these locations. A subtle fil rouge ideally links them—like a true "skin"—connecting them viscerally and nourishing them with new forms and colors given by the three artists. This serves as both a sign of new life and a memento for the future: naked and time-worn architectures can be reborn through the transformative power of art.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

ARIS

A prominent figure in urban and contemporary art for over twenty years, Aris began his journey in the early ‘90s with graffiti writing. Over time, he distanced himself from traditional graffiti, while still maintaining slight influences, to focus on figurative elements that gradually became more abstract.

His travels and explorations of abandoned buildings, as well as train surfaces, have driven him to seek the perfect form through a style characterized by fluidity and harmony. Each of his works results from sensations and stimuli drawn from the surrounding environment and the type of surface used. Letters transform into silhouettes and soft shapes, parts of an abstract structure that flows through space with overlapping layers, interacting with various colors and signs. His work becomes a harmonious and delicate waltz of shapes that struggle to break free from their fluid forms, fostering a fertile relationship between geometries and movement.

TALEGGIO

Taleggio is an important figure in the European post-graffiti movement. He entered the world of writing in the early 2000s, drawn by the variety of experimental surfaces the artistic medium offered.

Over time, his artistic research evolved into a new language, replacing letters with ever-changing shapes and color fields. His style is rooted in abstraction and is based on the subtraction and addition of elements. Each of his works achieves a perfect balance between empty and filled spaces, often articulating the façades of buildings used as canvases. A careful preparatory study, combined with a deep passion, defines his approach, which merges analytical style with a more intimate artistic vision.

ZERO

Zero entered the world of graffiti in the late ‘90s, driven by a strong sense of rebellion against society and the need to claim his own space. While studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Genoa, he was introduced to graphic design—a technique that profoundly influenced his work, steering him away from traditional lettering and towards a more graphic and architectural approach.

His inspiration comes from architecture, particularly modernist and brutalist movements. His works reflect a continuous study of these influences, utilizing strict geometric forms and structures.

Each of his modules is a reinterpretation of something previously seen—a pipe, a capital, an electrical system—decomposed and reassembled. The precision of his geometric arrangements and the meticulousness of his designs leave nothing to chance. Despite working predominantly on concrete surfaces, his work creates a complete dialogue between form and space, where the rigidity of the material is softened by the precise order of his compositions.