Michele Chiossi explores contemporary society in his solo exhibition in Naples

From Feb. 22 to May 17, 2025, Andrea Nuovo Home Gallery in Naples will host Prolegomeni, the solo exhibition of Michele Chiossi (Lucca, 1970), an artist who for years has been reflecting on contemporary society and the construction of the images that permeate our lives. The opening of the exhibition, to be held on Feb. 22 from 5 p.m., will mark the beginning of a journey through 17 works capable of raising questions and reflections on today’s reality and the world of art.

Michele Chiossi is a versatile artist who uses a variety of materials, ranging from marble and aluminum to modern resins and lights such as neon and LEDs. But it is his hallmark, a zig-zag sign, that is the spokesperson for his aesthetic investigation and his ability to rework the world around him. His works are true dynamic interpretations, reworked and filtered through the artist’s intuition and hand. In Prolegomena, Chiossi thus offers a kind of introduction, a preliminary reflection that provides the basis for a deeper reading of his works, both current and past ones.

The exhibition is articulated in a variety of forms and techniques, ranging from aluminum sculpture, light and mobile but also sharp and polished, to massive works in marble, terracotta, steel and wood, to video installations and so-called curtain paintings. Each piece in the exhibition induces the viewer to question the foundations of contemporary society. In an age distinguished by frenzy, consumerism, individualism and superficiality, Chiossi’s art becomes a tool for critical reflection, a kind of cross-section that challenges the rationality and certainties that structure our world.

Prolegomeni is thus an exhibition that proposes a path of discontinuity with the conventional view of society and art. Chiossi, in fact, does not intend to simply describe reality, but to provoke it, take it apart and reconstruct it. With a language that does not disdain irony and transgression, the artist manages to destabilize the stereotypes and conventions that govern our daily existence. His investigation is as much aesthetic as social, and his works seem to draw a bridge between the past and the present, between tradition and the most modern instances of art and visual culture.

The artist refers to different aesthetic spheres that have influenced his research, from Pop Art to Transavantgarde, but also to postmodern design, creating a mixture of languages that defies easy definitions. The works on display are imbued with a strong evocative component, harking back to artistic currents that have marked recent art history. Moreover, through a synthesis of traditional forms and modern technologies, Chiossi develops a reflection on the aesthetics of the contemporary, an aesthetic that, rather than being an expression of beauty, turns out to be a symbol of a profound disenchantment, of a deconstruction of the ideals of perfection and authenticity. Chiossi’s research is rooted in the tradition of art, but at the same time opens a space for the exploration of contemporary languages, in a continuous intersection of meanings and forms that reflect the changes and contradictions of today’s society. The exhibition opens as a window on a world that is believed to be rational, but is actually permeated by uncertainties and fragmentations. Chiossi’s work thus becomes an opportunity to look beyond, to open up in search of a substance of lost desire, a substance that is reflected not only in matter, but also in the languages and codes that govern our existence. Critical text (interview) edited by Fabrizio Meris.

Notes about the artist

Born in Lucca in 1970, Michele Chiossi developed from a young age a strong interest in creation, construction, cooking and matter. His nomadic nature, due to family needs, led him to live in different cities. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, he moved to New York in the early 1990s, where he resided until 2000. He then settled in Milan, where he lived until 2019, before moving to Forte dei Marmi. Primarily a sculptor, Chiossi has explored a variety of materials, moving from the more traditional such as marble to castings in bronze, aluminum, brass and silver. He has also worked with terracotta and technological materials such as resins, rubbers, neon and LEDs. Drawing is another fundamental practice in his artistic research, developed in a personal and distinctive way, marked by a zigzag stroke. This element, drawn freehand, consists of horizontal and vertical lines, devoid of curves, and over time has acquired a plastic strength, evolving into a three-dimensional sculptural form. His favorite themes range from poetic reveries, spiritual reflections, gastronomic references, pop and classical culture, with a focus on symbolism, myth and the creation of evocative and metaphorical content.

Michele Chiossi explores contemporary society in his solo exhibition in Naples

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