Miodio
Paper collage, 29,7 x 42 cm
(2017)
"Miodio" is a handmade collage that is part of the artist's exploration of Vanitas iconography, and it alters material from fashion magazines by inserting itself into the activity of subvertising.
Incorporating images of a skull and the model Zombie Boy against an alabaster background, the image emphasizes the idea of realistic and real shapes. Delicate flowers and petals in the hues of pink, white, and peach from perfume advertising and beauty magazines float in the composition. The juxtaposition of these macabre elements against the fragile flowers, which are central themes in Vanitas art, might be seen as the artist's attempt to visually update Memento Mori imagery with material created to be consumed, highlighting a sense of contrast and tension. At the bottom, the word "Miodio" sticks out. The embroidered black letters of a well-known French maison's perfume are changed into what could be translated as "My God" or "I hate myself" in Italian.
