Angelo Filomeno

Angelo Filomeno’s precisely stitched scenes first caught the world’s attention at the 52nd Venice Biennale. Since then, he has continued to receive critical acclaim for highly symbolic artworks that incorporate a variety of fabrics and materials — including denim, shantung silk, metallic thread, and gemstones — to create pieces that are both alluring and provocative. Filomeno infuses his embroidery with a deep knowledge of art history. Of particular interest are memento mori — still-life paintings popular in early modern Europe meant to serve as reminders of our mortality and the transience of earthly goods. With their sumptuous colors and lustrous textures of silk and thread, his works delight viewers while highlighting the interdependence of all life.

 

Filomeno received his MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in Lecce, Italy, and has a background as a tailor and costumer. In addition to solo museum exhibitions at the Savannah College of Art and Design, GA; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, TN; Italian Cultural Institute, New York, NY and Toronto, Canada; and Fondazione Museo Pino Pascali, Italy, his work has been exhibited at group exhibitions at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY; Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston, TX; Grey Art Gallery, New York University, NY; Katonah Museum of Art, NY; Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, NY; as well as the 52nd Venice Biennale. Filomeno’s work can be found in several public collections including the 21C Museum, Louisville, KY; 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY; and Museum of Glass / International Center for Contemporary Art, Tacoma, WA.