Persone che potresti conoscere
(this work is composed of two paintings - dimensions 39 x 49 cm)
"Fame is all about being recognised. Celebrity status depends on the media image a star gives to the masses. However, the true final aim of any sort of public self-representation is identification. It is a means to leave trace of one's mortal lifespan escaping time oblivion, the real lethal antidote to the human vanity. Social media image works the same way, but lays at hand for everyone. Whether I am a celebrity or a poor rascal, a quick smartphone snapshot is enough to go public. But it isn't always as swift as it seems. Balancing on the edge between self-representation and identification, every selfie is an important statement about personality and character. How do I want people to see me? How eager am I for people to recognise me? What do I want people who know me to think about me?
Stefano Bullo's work engages with the articulated psychology that lays behind self-representation in the era of Facebook and Twitter. Overlapping his external view and sensibility on someone else's selfie, Bullo wants to render a portrait drawn from a self-representation of people he knows, hence leaving very limited power to the painter to decide on pose and composition. The young "Venetian artist struggles hard to find a way to be detached from the original selfie and from the depicted subject he is emotionally involved with. In doing so, he is capable of underlining the true essence of self-representation, laying in an exaggerated concentration on physical details: those to show and those to conceal, those we like and those we hate of ourselves. The backdrop summarises the fundamental space references by means of just a few colours, giving a peaceful impression that is at odds with the suffering and hectic brushstrokes that outline the face of the depicted subject. It is as if the painter had tried to blend dozens of selfies into one single portrait, which is exactly what we do with our camera. The first shot is never the best, soon comes a second one, then a third and a fourth. It takes time to find the one picture that satisfies our narcissism in all details, but in truth the outcome renders a completely different picture, showcasing the inner frailty and personal insecurity about our self-image we want to feed the others with. In Bullo's work selfies end up for what they really are: maybe not exactly people you know, they're just people you may know...aren't they?"
-Diego Mantoan-
"Fame is all about being recognised. Celebrity status depends on the media image a star gives to the masses. However, the true final aim of any sort of public self-representation is identification. It is a means to leave trace of one's mortal lifespan escaping time oblivion, the real lethal antidote to the human vanity. Social media image works the same way, but lays at hand for everyone. Whether I am a celebrity or a poor rascal, a quick smartphone snapshot is enough to go public. But it isn't always as swift as it seems. Balancing on the edge between self-representation and identification, every selfie is an important statement about personality and character. How do I want people to see me? How eager am I for people to recognise me? What do I want people who know me to think about me?
Stefano Bullo's work engages with the articulated psychology that lays behind self-representation in the era of Facebook and Twitter. Overlapping his external view and sensibility on someone else's selfie, Bullo wants to render a portrait drawn from a self-representation of people he knows, hence leaving very limited power to the painter to decide on pose and composition. The young "Venetian artist struggles hard to find a way to be detached from the original selfie and from the depicted subject he is emotionally involved with. In doing so, he is capable of underlining the true essence of self-representation, laying in an exaggerated concentration on physical details: those to show and those to conceal, those we like and those we hate of ourselves. The backdrop summarises the fundamental space references by means of just a few colours, giving a peaceful impression that is at odds with the suffering and hectic brushstrokes that outline the face of the depicted subject. It is as if the painter had tried to blend dozens of selfies into one single portrait, which is exactly what we do with our camera. The first shot is never the best, soon comes a second one, then a third and a fourth. It takes time to find the one picture that satisfies our narcissism in all details, but in truth the outcome renders a completely different picture, showcasing the inner frailty and personal insecurity about our self-image we want to feed the others with. In Bullo's work selfies end up for what they really are: maybe not exactly people you know, they're just people you may know...aren't they?"
-Diego Mantoan-
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