“Maccarone Los Angeles proudly presents Z E T A, an exhibition of monumental sculpture, installation, and painting by Marco Andreoli-Nazario. This exhibition marks the artist’s first solo presentation in the U.S.
Inspired equally by historical and current events, Andreoli-Nazario’s multi-disciplinary practice involves recontextualizing deceptively simple found objects, that come loaded with traumatic origins and back stories. Investigating the turbulent and cyclical nature of history, each repurposed item reflects lives lost or obscured by conflict and subjugation.
Establishing the language of the exhibition the work #2015714 (2015), features a collection of 714 pairs of children’s shoes, each weighed down with overflowing concrete. Once worn by Syrian refugees, rather than representing growth and child development, the shoes carry the burden of innocent children caught up in a devastating civil war and global immigration crisis. This installation connects the outcome of warfare during two distinct historical periods, memorializing children impacted by indirect resistance and dissension.
For the haunting series, Untitled Pillows (2017), ethereal silhouettes encased in recycled pillowcases collected from orphanages in France and Italy float freely about the gallery. Stitched together, these used linens also provide the foundation for a series of elegantly composed quilted paintings covered with stabilized mold. Recognizing the potentially toxic substance often deters viewers from approaching too closely, demonstrating an inherent tension between seduction and repulsion.
Andreoli-Nazario’s two monolithic sculptures, The Tower (2016) and Who’s Johnny? (2015-2016)further his investigations of ordinary, yet loaded materials. Erected over the course of the tumultuous 2016 presidential election, The Tower (2016) comprises cardboard and trash bags purchased by the artist from Los Angeles’ most rapidly growing demographic: the homeless population. Composed of signs, DIY shelters and various detritus, this escalating column addresses a dysfunctional understanding of social and economic mobility.
Who’s Johnny? (2015-2016), an austere bunker constructed from concrete and windowpanes found near the Bataclan—the site of the 2015 terrorist attack in Paris—evokes an air of melancholy, even without prior knowledge of the significance of the materials, the piece has a deeply visceral presence. The work also features steps, providing visitors with a view into the sculpture’s intricately arranged interior.
Born in Vimercate, Italy, in 1979, Marco Andreoli-Nazario moved to Los Angeles in 2012. His work has been shown internationally in group exhibitions at the Rennie Museum, Vancouver, BC, Canada and Untilthen, Paris, France.”
