YUGEN Gallery will hold Federico Bartoli's solo exhibition "Candy Creatures" from May 13th (Sat) to May 18th (Thu), 2023.

Chaos of color fills the screen

Federico Bartoli draws a fantasy world by refining subjects from all ages and countries, from classical painting motifs and fables to pop culture since the 1990s. The exhibition "Candy Creatures" consists of works filled with colorful candy colors. 25 oil paintings created especially for this exhibition, as well as 3 painted skateboards will be on display.

Federico Bartoli was born in Milan, Italy in 1976. I grew up with historical paintings, street art in town, and Japanese anime. In particular, he was impressed by the artwork of the album "somewhere in time" by the British heavy metal band <Iron Maiden>. Learn the basic techniques of traditional painting, the history of Italian art, and graphic design.

At the age of 24, he left his home country of Italy to start his career as a designer, and was in charge of CI (corporate identity) for global brands such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and NBA. After working in Austria and Hong Kong, I am currently based in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture.

The motifs are creatures and nature of planets other than the earth. Federico himself draws with a color scheme called "Chaos of Color".

"The creatures of creation have different colors, like they came out of a candy can. If you lick the candy, you can dye it in any color. I hope you can live freely like that."

Respect for all living things

“Even if I have a bad experience, I am fascinated by art and it has helped me to feel happy. I want my paintings to be that kind of positive.”

Until he started living in Japan, Federico was drawing intricate drawings. I have created works with the theme of chaos that emerges from the intersection of monochrome lines. However, while living peacefully surrounded by nature in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, he began to draw as if he were searching for himself, and his works naturally became colorful when he expressed his emotions that change from day to day.

The imaginary creatures are inspired by the nature and free-living animals in Austria, and the dynamism and vivid colors are inspired by the street art and billboards of Milan.

The depth of human beings as pretty as candy

Many of Federico's works depict houses and villages that appear in fairy tales, and nostalgia is also brought in as a theme. This is a reflection of Federico's own feelings for his hometown, which has moved from one place to another, and is expressed as a contrast to an ideal paradise.

In his 2010 solo exhibition, The Gay 90's: Old Tyme Art Show, Mark Ryden, considered the “father of pop surrealism,” explored the contrast between modern nostalgia and kitsch. People's ideals can be both attractive and over-the-top, and they seek boundaries that resist them.

Federico says, "When I paint, I never have dark emotions." The dark and dark colors effectively used in his vivid paintings give us a sense of the uneasiness that looms over the other side of the world, and are depicted as the boundary between an ideal paradise. increase. And I notice that human emotions, which are mixed with positive and negative, are also shown here.

We are forced to change all values. Nostalgia for the times we once lived in and the ideals of a new world. The depth of human beings lies in the conflict between opposing values. Federico Bartoli's work makes us think that the depth of human beings is not dark darkness, but colorful and sweet like candy.