LOVE, COMMAS AND ASTERISKS
Posted on August 1, 2012 by admin
At Blum & Poe, untill 25th August, a selection of work by Maurizio Vetrugno are on display. This is his first one-man exhibition in Los Angeles. Born in Torino, Maurizio is a “boy” that loves to alters everyday objects, such as cloth and tools, into wry commentary on popular culture of a bygone era. Hand-made, embroidered textiles, woven in Laos, depict the distinctive designs of vinyl record sleeves from the 1950s-1980s. Vetrugno, in love with fashion since tender age and clothes collector himself, has been inspired by the muse forever. Models such as Twiggy had been marking hievoke mid-century popular culture and become self-referential in the works — the cloth “wears” the model. There is a lushness and preciousness to these labor-intensive textiles, whose technique co-opts and contradicts the Pop content. The exhibition also includes one lacquered sculpture made of recycled, teak wood. Lead Balloon is a boomerang resting on a plinth with the words “I love you” carved in high relief. The subtle joke plays with the contradiction of the function of a weapon with the message of love and serves as an ironic comment on the policy of diminishing returns in post-postmodern times.
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