Sergio Fermariello

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Ronchini Gallery, London is delighted to announce the first solo show in the UK of
work by Sergio Fermariello, curated by ARTNESIA, from 20 April to 9 June 2012. The
exhibition will feature new works alongside existing key works.
Fermariello takes archetypal symbols and shapes from the past with a particular
emphasis on mythology and antiquity. Icons of archers and soldiers are borrowed
from the Etruscans and the Garamantes. His work began with the symbol of a warrior
and ever since these armed figures have been synthesised and repeated
throughout his canvases with an obsessive rhythm for over 20 years. The warrior is an
image that holds particular significance to the artist as a sign of strength. Fermariello
explains;
‘Mankind can not do without weapons, which is why my warriors are always armed.
The spear corresponds to the letter ‘I’ and the shield resembles the letter ‘O.’
Together they form the particle ‘IO,’ which also means ‘I’ in Italian.’
Fermariello experiments with depth in his works by using overlapping shapes and
materials as well as repetitive figures and patterns. His painting explores
monochromy as well as the relationship between figure and abstraction. In many of
his pieces the threatening icon of the warrior is turned into a delicate design which
can almost be described as decorative. This apparent quest for a simplified
generalised sign, in reality, is marked by a rare calligraphic skill and extreme
attention to detail; each tiny brush stroke bears an implication.
Fermariello believes that the duty of art is to improve the quality of life, and although
his work has strong historical and thematic undertones, he promotes the aesthetic
above all else.
Sergio Fermariello working on Warriors in 1989. This work was first shown at Lucio
Amelio Gallery in Naples in 1989 and won the Saatchi & Saatchi International
Prize for Young Artists
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Sergio Fermariello, Untitled, 2012, 170 x 180 cm, marble
resin on canvas, (with detail)
Sergio Fermariello has exhibited internationally at numerous galleries and museums.
He won the first Saatchi & Saatchi International Prize for Young Artists in 1989, and at
the age of 32 was invited by Achille Bonito Oliva to participate in the 45th Venice
Biennale (1993). Within the Italian Pavilion an entire room was devoted to his work
entitled Italian Work – Triptychs.
About the artist
Sergio Fermariello (b. 1961, Naples) lives and works in Italy. Early exhibitions include: Galleria Lucio
Amelio, Naples (1989); Galleria Il Capricorno, Venice (1990); Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris (1992);
Metropolis at the International Kunstausstellung, Berlin (1991); Musée de l’Abbaye Sainte-Croix, Les
Sables-d’Olonne (1991); Galleria In Arco, Turin (1995). Recent exhibitions include Castel Sant’Elmo,
Naples (2004); Certosa di San Michele, Capri (2004); Italian Institute of Culture, New York (2005); Pier 17
waterfront, New York (2005); Flora Bigai, Pietrasanta (2008) Ronchini, Umbria (2008); Niccoli, Parma
(2008); Migranti at the MAC Museum in Niteroi, Brazil (2009); Museum PAN, Naples (2009). Fermariello’s
works are also installed in the new premises of Bocconi University in Milan and Airport Capodichino in
Naples.
About Ronchini Gallery
Ronchini Gallery is a contemporary art gallery founded by Lorenzo Ronchini in 1992, in Umbria, Italy,
which expanded in February 2012 with a space in Mayfair, London. Its exhibitions have explored
pioneering movements within Italy; the gallery aesthetic is defined by Minimalism, Spatialism,
Conceptualism and Arte Povera and it retains an unblinking future-focus on progressive movements.
Ronchini Gallery evolved from 20 years of private collecting. Paterfamilias Adriano Ronchini was early
an supporter of artists such as Alighiero Boetti, Daniel Buren, Joseph Kosuth, Frank Stella and
Michelangelo Pistoletto and collected their work throughout the seventies. Subscribing to the highest
standards of curatorship and scholarship, the gallery provides a rigorous context in which its artists can
be viewed. Ronchini Gallery also maintains a successful publishing arm which produces exhibition
catalogues, monographs, critical texts and artist’s books.
About the curators
ARTNESIA is an arts projects initiative set up in August 2010 by Jason Lee and Carlo Berardi. Its main
activities are curatorial projects around the globe, artist’s residencies and representations as well as
book publishing. Artnesia’s activities started with Heavenly Creatures, a group exhibition in partnership
with Jack Wills at the Aubin Gallery, followed by Confessions of Dangerous Minds, a comprehensive
survey of Contemporary Art from Turkey at Saatchi Gallery, London, in April 2011.