Fasoli and Hell'O Collective's double solo show at Bologna's Magma Gallery

At the MAGMA Gallery in Bologna, Someone is watching you, a double solo exhibition by Franco Fasoli and Hell’O Collective, two international names united by their bright colors and compositions that refer to a surreal universe, declined in two different manners, is on view until July 11.

The Belgian duo Hell’O Collective (formed by Jérôme Meynen, 1982 and Antoine Detaille, 1980), through rigorous execution, depicts a world of bizarre and mysterious figures similar to a dreamlike vision or a symbolic rebus. The world they describe is surreal and colorful, characterized by rigorous execution, populated by bizarre figures and mysterious symbols. A world that is sometimes grotesque but always poetic, in which philosophical questions and nonsense are alternated and found, leaving the audience free to follow and explore their preferred path. A joyous and macabre carnival, silent and noisy at the same time, from which their great compositional and chromatic control emerges. Important among other exhibitions are not only the solo show at BAM in Mons in 2018 dedicated to their first 10 years of career, but also the exhibitions at Musée d’Ixelles and Palais des Beaux-Arts Bozar, both in Brussels.

Franco Fasoli (also known as Jaz; Buenos Aires, 1981), one of the best known and most talented artists on the Argentine scene, works instead, more figuratively, on the theme of identity and the relationship between global culture and subcultures, depicting with a touch of irony scenes of everyday life, private spaces, or staging conflicts and clashes between allegorical half-man, half-beast figures that visually seem to be part of a surreal world, but semantically refer to a well-defined social and identity reality.

A set designer and muralist, Fasoli began to imagine the streets as a canvas in the late 1990s. Already in these early experiences one can see the influence of the study and passion for ceramics and, at the same time, the strong link with the “fileteado” technique, typical of the Argentine capital. Shortly thereafter, his style evolved, moving away from the more traditional writing, introducing in his work the representation of the real contradictions of Latin American societies, their rituals and their seemingly perennial instability. One of the most striking aspects of his work is his exploration of materials and dimensions.

The tension between the dominant global culture and subcultures as spaces of resistance has influenced him both conceptually and in his actions throughout his career. Multiple forms of individual and collective identity form the sociological backbone of his work. Conflict, confrontation, and the deconstruction of the portrayed scene are some of the elements used by Fasoli to stimulate the audience’s vision and perception. Indeed, the concept of identity is one of the founding cornerstones of his work, whether in murals, paintings on canvas or sculptures. His research explores how individual and collective identities are formed and the ever-changing relationship between them.

For all information you can visit the official MAGMA website.

Pictured: Franco Fasoli, Contacto Visual (2020; handmade paper on canvas, 110 x 90 cm).

Fasoli and Hell'O Collective's double solo show at Bologna's Magma Gallery

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.