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CARTONI: containers contained
13 August, 2019 - 24 August, 2019
Michelangelo Russo
CARTONI: containers contained
13 – 24 August 2019
hours:
Tuesday – Friday 11am to 5pm,
Saturday 11am to 3pm
admission: Free
…a reconceptualized “box been boxed”, the container contained.
CARTONI: containers contained by Michelangelo Russo is a series of encaustic paintings celebrating texture and physicality utilising the everyday material of corrugated cardboard.
Using cardboard and encaustic (beeswax, damar crystals and dry pigments), this series focuses on structure, minimalism and abstraction. The outcome is three dimensional and highly textural.
The unifying structural composition is then enveloped in wax and pigment resulting in a rigid yet fluid visuals. The flat surface and the corrugated cross section of the cardboards are both used to construct each piece. The inner structure of the cardboard becomes less distinct and obscure.
The deconstruction of the cardboards lead to a reconceptualized “box been boxed”, the container contained.
Michelangelo Russo (1962) is a visual artist and musician, born in Campobasso, capital of Southern Italy’s Molise Region.
From 1973-1980 he trained in the studio of well-known local artist, Franco Iannelli, who encouraged him to experiment with different techniques.
At the age of 18, he began to pursue a career in architecture and graphic design in Pescara and Rome.
Since 2003 he has focused solely on encaustic painting.
Michelangelo’s encaustic oeuvres display great depth, evident in his Bestia series, where amidst darkness the beast appears to dominate the frame.
In early 1990, several Italian shows after his 1988 solo debut in Rome, Michelangelo visited Berlin and quickly tapped into its artistic energy.
He established a studio in the heart of East Berlin, fertile ground for young, pioneering artists shortly after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
At the end of 1993, attracted by Australia’s light and space, Michelangelo moved to Melbourne.
He has held numerous solo and group shows at Goya Galleries, Artefact Galleries, Anita Traverso Gallery in Melbourne, and Art House Gallery in Sydney among others.
His works features in private collections around the world: Australia, Cuba, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and USA.
He regularly runs lessons and workshops on encaustic painting from his studio in Preston.