Filippo Minelli first began using colored smoke bombs in a series called "Silence, Shapes" -- which later evolved into "Bold Statements."
"Shape US B/S-B" by Filippo Minelli —
Filippo Minelli first began using colored smoke bombs in a series called "Silence, Shapes" -- which later evolved into "Bold Statements."
Filippo Minelli
In "Bold Statements," Italian artist Filippo Minelli uses performance, photography and installation art to ask questions about the nature of emergencies and politics. "The Only Emergency is the Absence of Emergency" performance at VDNHK, Moscow by Filippo Minelli, pictured here.
Inside Filippo Minelli's work —
In "Bold Statements," Italian artist Filippo Minelli uses performance, photography and installation art to ask questions about the nature of emergencies and politics. "The Only Emergency is the Absence of Emergency" performance at VDNHK, Moscow by Filippo Minelli, pictured here.
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy Manege
Hoping to create spectacles which can then become sites for reflection, Minelli deploys colorful smoke bombs, and flags with incoherent slogans, which he introduces into public places, often without warning.
"Venturing Beyond" (2016) by Filippo Minelli —
Hoping to create spectacles which can then become sites for reflection, Minelli deploys colorful smoke bombs, and flags with incoherent slogans, which he introduces into public places, often without warning.
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy A(by)P
Minelli's large, colorful flags recall both nation-state and political movement -- yet ultimately point to neither.
"Bold Statements" (2015) by Filippo Minelli —
Minelli's large, colorful flags recall both nation-state and political movement -- yet ultimately point to neither.
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy A(by)P
The banners seem to suggest that our political responses to serious problems may be just as incoherent as the crises themselves.
"Bold Statements" (2015) Filippo Minelli —
The banners seem to suggest that our political responses to serious problems may be just as incoherent as the crises themselves.
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy A(by)P
The flags are deliberately abstract, meant to suggest the "aesthetic of change" while actually containing something far more vacuous, says Minelli.
"Bold Statements" (2015) by Filippo Minelli —
The flags are deliberately abstract, meant to suggest the "aesthetic of change" while actually containing something far more vacuous, says Minelli.
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy A(by)P
In the context of "Bold Statements," the smoke bomb represents the visual metaphor for "emergency."
"Shape US B/S-B" by Filippo Minelli —
In the context of "Bold Statements," the smoke bomb represents the visual metaphor for "emergency."
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy Banca Generali
But Minelli colors the smoke in beautiful shades of pink, blue, green, and orange -- an incongruity that invites his audience to take a second look.
"Shape 13" (2009) by Filippo Minelli —
But Minelli colors the smoke in beautiful shades of pink, blue, green, and orange -- an incongruity that invites his audience to take a second look.
Filippo Minelli
"I am acknowledging the nature of smoke and using it for another purpose, political and artistic," says the artist.
"Shape B/F" (2009) by Filippo Minelli —
"I am acknowledging the nature of smoke and using it for another purpose, political and artistic," says the artist.
Filippo Minelli
"Art should be that thing that bugs you, makes you feel not a hundred percent comfortable, and makes you wonder outside of the mental schemes of the moment."
"Shape C/G" (2009) by Filippo Minelli —
"Art should be that thing that bugs you, makes you feel not a hundred percent comfortable, and makes you wonder outside of the mental schemes of the moment."
Filippo Minelli
Minelli photographs his performances and incorporates them into his art installations, which ultimately ask us to rethink our reactions to crisis, and our relationships to the political world.
"Bold Statements" by Filippo Minelli —
Minelli photographs his performances and incorporates them into his art installations, which ultimately ask us to rethink our reactions to crisis, and our relationships to the political world.
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy Ruttkowski68 Gallery
"I'm interested in the aesthetics of politics rather than politics itself," Minelli tells CNN. "I want to replicate the aesthetic of this historical period, this constant emergency that we are facing."
"Bold Statements" by Filippo Minelli —
"I'm interested in the aesthetics of politics rather than politics itself," Minelli tells CNN. "I want to replicate the aesthetic of this historical period, this constant emergency that we are facing."
Filippo Minelli/Courtesy Ruttkowski68 Gallery