Princess Metaverse

Published by Daniel+Lauren
10 April, 2022 written by Daniel Quintanilla (aka danieldcnyc)

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Giuseppe Veneziano Pop Fiction, 2021, Acrylic painting on canvas (100 x 125 cm / 39.37 x 49.21 in)

Space Gallery St Barth is proud to present an exhibition of works by Italian contemporary artist, Giuseppe Veneziano. The exhibition comprises his aquarelle studies for larger pieces, paintings, and two exclusive new NFTs by the artist. Animated by the artist’s signature wit, this latest body of work presents surprising, often shocking, commentary on contentious issues such as global politics, world religions, sex, and the role of technology in the modern world. In assuming the role of provocateur, Veneziano both literally and figuratively inverts familiar narratives sourced from Pop culture, art history, and social media in order to deconstruct the emotional, sometimes irrational, disconnect between reality and expectations. “Alter Ego” constitutes not only Veneziano’s New York City debut, but also his artistic debut in the United States, and the artist intends to make a splash.

Humor is central to Veneziano’s artistic purpose. In playfully violating mental patterns and expectations, the artist seeks to foster rationality rather than undermine it. Speaking about his work, Veneziano comments: 

“My ambition is to recount contemporary stories, but with a nod to the past and the history of art, this serves as a stimulation for new stories for me to tell and confront the present and past”.

The artist understands painting to be a tool for re-inventing the world, so while it may shock audiences to see beloved cartoon characters recast as perverts or art historical figures depicted in compromising situations, it is exactly this emotional connection to the global cultural vocabulary of images and ideas that aides the artist in realizing his purpose. On this topic, Veneziano comments, 

“During my childhood, I created fantastic worlds in my head populated with characters which in some way fed my fantasy world. Superheroes from comics, Disney characters, and Japanese anime are those I am more sentimentally linked to”. 

Veneziano knows that a mugshot of Jesus Christ, an image of the Madonna cradling baby Hitler, and Ronald McDonald’s head replaced with that of Mao Zedong will confuse and perhaps even offend his audience, but this is his purpose. Veneziano forces us to rethink our understanding of these figures, often an understanding that has been formed for us rather than by us, in order to foster independent thought. For this reason, Veneziano’s international reputation has grown substantially over the past decade.

In 2006 he realized his first important exhibition at the Luciano Inga Pin gallery in Milan. In 2007 he participated in the 6th edition of the Biennale of St. Petersburg; in 2009 he participated in the 4th Biennale of Prague and in 2011 was invited to the Italian Pavilion of the 54th Biennale of Venice. Giuseppe Veneziano is today one of the main Italian artists of the New Pop current. Critics and art sector magazines have acknowledged him as one of the highest exponents of the Italian New Pop movement and the group Italian Newbrow.

In 2021 he undertook a monumental public sculpture exhibition in the homeland of sculpture – Pietra Santa. The exhibition ‘Blue Banana’ was revered as a huge success. Additionally, he was invited to participate in the museum exhibition ‘Boticelli: His time. Our time’ – further cementing his position as a highly collectible Italian contemporary artist. His work can be found in important public and private collections including in the collections of MACS Museum, Catania, Italy, and the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Palazzo Riso, Palermo, Italy.

In 2022 Veneziano also began to dominate in the digital realm with his highly successful NFT unique series. Space Gallery is delighted to exclusively present two new NFTs by the artist as part of this inaugural US exhibition.