Marianne Boesky Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works by Angelo Filomeno. This will be Filomeno’s third solo show in New York, and his first with Marianne Boesky Gallery.
The exhibition consists of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional embroidered works on silk shantung. Filomeno’s lavish scenes and organic forms are painstakingly ‘painted’ with a sewing machine and hoop onto the fabric, which is then stretched over linen. Filomeno details these narrative scenes with an appliquéd spray of crystals and semi-precious gemstones, flaunting both his fantastical conceptions and his astonishing craftsmanship.
It is through Filomeno’s elaborate motifs and rich use of symbolism that a parable of both life and death is created. Roosters and peacocks vomit dazzling brocades of crystals, while spiraling flora and butterflies are juxtaposed with crawling roaches and grimacing skulls.
The theories behind Jung’s collective unconscious contribute to the subtext in Filomeno’s work - the idea that pre-existent self-generating ‘forces of nature’ influence the human condition on a subconscious level. Influences from Nabokov to Dürer can also be found in Filomeno’s elaborate symbols and compositions.
Filomeno was born in Ostuni, Italy and has been sewing since the age of seven as an apprentice to a local tailor. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Lecce, Italy where he received a degree in painting and went on to Milan to work in the design studios of major fashion houses. Since 1992, he has been living and working in New York City.