Biography

Maurizio Vetrugno

Sant’Antonino di Susa 1957

Lives in Sant’Antonino di Susa and in Bali

 

Maurizio Vetrugno has turned casting into a methodology for his work: through the selection of individual elements recognised for their beauty, the artist blends his conceptual approach to art with the contemporary aesthetic of glamour and with the drive towards collecting.

The portraits on the walls, embroidered by artisans using the straight stitch technique, derive from photographs taken by the artist, from images selected from vinyl covers and fashion repertoire. A major genre in the European painting tradition meets a feminine activity par excellence, while famous figures and common people coexist in a gallery of hypertexts where what matters is not so much the recognizability of the subject, but its refinement and its mise en scene.

Arranged in two separate showcases, Vetrugno presents a selection from his collections of antique Chinese glass – of which he is a connoisseur – and of high fashion jewelry, used as props for some of his portraits. The practice of the collector, and that of the artist, shown together for the first time, reveal their continuous intermingling and their relevance to Vetrugno’s research.

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Maurizio Vetrugno, installation view, 2020 Art Quadriennale FUORI

Photo DSL Studio

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Maurizio Vetrugno, installation view, 2020 Art Quadriennale FUORI

Photo DSL Studio