Artist Francesco Liggieri

Francesco Liggieri

About

Francesco Liggieri is a traditional, almost old-time, artist, but he feels comfortable with the fast and always changing contemporary time he lives in an he uses as nourishment for his work.
In fact, his pictorial style seems to have been grown and got stronger together with him during his slow transition from a child to an adult, without any impatient acceleration, but with a natural constancy which is very rare to find in a young artist today.
This natural approach and also this kind of stylistic evolution are supported by Francesco’s inborn predisposition to consider art as a way to express himself, through the use of painting and colours, and also to get in touch with the world he lives in, since he was a child.
From the moment he used his first piece of chalk to draw a white line on a blue scrap of fabric, Francesco Liggeri’s been keeping on testing different types of media and supports, such as tempera, oil colours, drawing pencils, wood, wall, paper, canvas, and he has accomplished his artistic style also thanks to his studies at the School of Fine Arts in Venice.
The debt to Pop and Street art is evident and it’s the base of Francesco Liggieri’s activity as an artist, however without hindering his genuine and personal technique founded on the ability to let the daily life and the exceptionality live together on the canvas.
In fact, the reality taken from the newspapers, the movies and the internet is the main character of Francesco Liggieri’s work, but he is able to transpose it on his canvas as a good opportunity to create a connection, playful and reflexive at the same time, to the audience.
Choosing characters who live temporary states, such as the different ages, from the childhood on, and who are defined by a sort of unusual uniqueness, Francesco Liggieri makes familiarity and extraordinariness join up, without any unbalanced result.
Anyone can identify himself with the child who holds a gun in Where we go now? Where we go now!?, or with the other child who holds a lollipop in My dream come!... Maybe Tomorrow, or with the young character in the middle of *****, or at least with the group of Campi di pop corn (where is Anna Frank?), but only that child is a victim of a terrible war, only that child will become pope, only that little girl has been Anna Frank.
The game Francesco Liggieri plays towards himself and also towards the world he shares with his audience is linked to a deep urgency of “taking a picture” of reality so it as and then of transforming it in an artwork using the media he prefers.
Acting as a smart and curious child, Francesco Liggieri is capable of making his spectators think over the complex and often thorny subjects of his works (for instance, the controversial conflicts exemplified by the Soldati series, the violence against children, which is visible in the eyes of the main character of Where we go now? Where we go now!?, the compulsive isolation of the contemporary, globalized man identified with the young character of *****, the daily politics, exemplified by Good Morning, Mister President), without any artificial complexity, but just using a consistent simplicity that makes the peaceful coexistence of daily life and uniqueness possible.
Every single artwork realized by Francesco Liggieri is readable.
His paintings and his installations are both created using a “flat” style, but they’re never simplistic or banal, neither his way of studying the human being as the core of his own poetics.
From the beginning to these days, lines and colours have been becoming the tools to outline human characters as more and more essential but full of contents and also immediately perceived by the spectator without any additional help or interference from the artist.
The artwork speaks for itself. The artist just suggests a point of view, clear and well-defined, but it’s a spectator’s prerogative to deepen the reflection proposed.
That’s the reason why the installations need the audience’s interaction. The spectator, helped by the immediacy of the artwork, made possible by the use of simple devices as the only dominant of the red colour in Amen, or by the wise disposition of the portraits realized for For Tomorrow that leads the eyes of the audience, is invited, not forced, to get in touch with the artwork, also finding new meanings for that.
The artist hopes for a free approach to his works by the spectators so as to let them identify with the uniqueness hidden under the surface of the daily life.
In the end, the subject of Francesco Liggieri’s work is the exception, without any extraordinary connotation.
Arianna Testino ( i.c. ) … Read More

Location: Venice, Italy
Website: http://www.francescoliggieri.com

Work

Artistic CV – Selection of collective expositions

• In 2005, 2007 e 2008 he is selected for Premio Celeste, (Barba allo specchio 2005 e Campi di Pop Corn (Where’s Anna Frank?) ), R.E.M. (rapid eyes movement), catalogue.
• From 2005 to 2007 he exhibits in 13×17, Chiesa di San Gallo, Venezia, and afterwards in Milan, Bologna, Bari, Palermo, Torino, Cagliari e once again in Venezia, Pescherie di Murano, 2007, curator Philippe Daverio, catalogue.
• Since 2005 founds and coordinates Collettivo Rapido, and exhibts with it during 2006 in the exhibitions Dis-nascondimento (CZ95,Venezia), Big Bang Parte I (San Lorenzo de L’Escorial, Madrid).
• After ”Happening”, external event for Private Gallery (June 2006,Venezia) coproduces and exhibits in Senza Peso/Lightness, curator Amerigo Nutolo (Spazio Eventi Mondadori,Venezia, 17-28 April 2007), catalogue.
• Invited with Collettivo Rapido to Trasalimenti-Castellarte 2007, Roseto degli Abruzzi, Targa d’Argento 2007 of the President of the Italian Republic for the five best artistic events, curator Gabriele Di Pietro, exhibition with Fabio Mauri (retrospective), Tullio Catalano, Jakob De Chirico, catalogue.
• During 2007 collaborates with Pablo Cardoso (Ecuador) for the art work Allende, IILA, 52th Biennale d’Arti Visive, catalogue Biennale 2007, catalogue IILA.
• In September 2007 takes part to the Art Fair of Parma, within the exhibition Mai dire Mao – Servire il Pop, curator Philippe Daverio, catalogue.
• May/June 2008 takes part to the exhibition Re-Public, at the Arsenale Nuovissimo in Venezia, curator Amerigo Nutolo.
• June 2008 Flash Art n°270, dictionary of the young artists in Veneto.
• July 2008 - Achtung! Collettivo Rapido exhibition within the project Arte in Hotel by curator Elsa Gipponi.
• November 2008 – Serial, Collettivo Rapido exhibition within the project Accade 2008, at the Art Gallery L’Occhio, Venezia, curator Giovanna Borrillo, catalogue.
• December 2008 - THE SMILE EXHIBITION, FONDAZIONE DOTTOR SORRISO, collective exhibition by curator Elsa Gipponi at Hotel Astoria (TN), catalogue.
• April 2009 My World, collective exhibition at exhibition spaces Antonino Paraggi in Treviso, curators Francesco Liggieri and Giuliana Tammaro, catalogue.
• April/May 2009 – Last Minute, at Contemporary Space in Padova, Collettivo Rapido exhibition, curator Daniela Astolfi.
• July 2009 – Il Gioco del Limite, collective exhibition within the project “Rodeo” at the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation studios in Palazzo Carminati, Venezia, curator Arianna Testino.
• August 2009 – selected for the Celest Prize international catalogue, curator Steve Music.
• September 2009 – TrasFigurazione, collective exhibition at the Galleria San Vidal, campo di San Zaccaria, Venezia, curator Christian Palazzo.
• October 2009 - Next Generation, collective exhibition at Galleria San Lorenzo, Milano, curator Roberto Milani. Catalogue.
• November 2009 – Sguardi Multipli, collective exhibition, curators Francesca Londino and Settimio Ferrari, Rossano (CS) Ferrara. Catalogue.
• May 2010 – My World 2, collective exhibition, curators Francesco Liggieri and Giuliana Tammaro, Venezia, chiesa Santa Maria Ausiliatrice.
• July 2010 – Urban Creatures, collective exhibition, curators di Francesca Londino and Settimio Ferrari, Rossano/Venezia, Spazio Eventi Mondadori.
• July 2010 – Invasioni e Terapie, collective exhibition, curator Anna Z. Pezzin, Schio Palazzo Fogazzaro.
• Settembre 2010 – Angolazioni Urbane, collective exhibition (site specific artworks) curators Arianna Testino, Videotrope and Trip. Group, Mestre, various public places.
• Novemer 2010 – incontro 228, talking with Maria Morganti, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Palazzetto Tito, Venezia.

Pubblicazioni:
• “Premio Celeste 2005” catalogue, Catalogue “Premio Celeste 2007” “Premio Celeste 2008“, curator Steve Music.
• “ 13x17” catalogue, Rizzoli, curator Philippe Daverio.
• “Senza Peso” catalogue , curator Amerigo Nutolo.
• Mentioned by artist Pablo Cardoso for the work “Allende” on “Territorios” catalogue within Biennale d’arte 2007 di Venezia, curators Irma Arestizabal and Istituto Italo Latino Americano IILA (Italian and Latin American Institute).
• Mentioned by artist Pablo Cardoso in the Biennale d’Arte di Venezia official catalogue within 52nd Biennale d’arte 2007 di Venezia for the work “Allende”.
• “Mai dire Mao,Servire il pop” catalogue, publisher Nuages , curators Gherardo Frassa and Philippe Daverio.
• Italian “Vogue”, May/June 2007
• My World catalogue, curators Francesco Liggieri and Giuliana Tammaro.
• Accade 2008 catalogue, by the Association Attivarte.
• Arte In, August/September 2009.
• Arte, October 2009 within the event Next Generation, publisher Mondadori.
• Interviewed for the documentary “The Production of the Contemporary Image" , curator Ariane Lebot.
• Interviewed for L’Arengo del Viaggiatore, online magazine.
• Interviewed for PNL News, online daily newspaper of Pantelleria.
• Flash art n°270 June/July 2008 in the dossier “Young Artists in Veneto”.
• “Celest Prize International “ catalogue first edition, curator Steve Music.
• Next Generation catalogue, curator Roberto Milani.
• Sguardi Multipli 2009 catalogue, curators Francesca Londino and Settimio Ferrari.
• My World 2 catalogue, curators Francesco Liggieri and Giuliana Tammaro.
• Urban Creatures catalogue, , curators Francesca Londino and Settimio Ferrari.
• Invasioni e Terapie catalogue, curator Anna Z. Pezzin.
• Angolazioni Urbane catalogue, curators Arianna Testino and Videotrope.
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Education

During his academic education he goes through the images of Picasso and Richter, combining the social involvement and the attention to the human figure with street sensitivity and a sort of post-pop freedom inspired by Haring, Salle and, recently, Bansky. He graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts of Venice in 2006 with full marks. In the same year he founded Collettivo Rapido, a flexible collective which gets together artists in temporary collaborations and expositions. Since 2005 he participates steadily to exposition and artistic projects as solo artist.
Recently he is interested in experiments combining painting and installation.
… Read More