Francesco Vullo
Francesco Vullo is an Italian artist based in Milan, Italy. As an artist, Francesco Vullo uses and reinterprets common objects to create a dialogue between the human being and modern society. Fascinated by the symbolic power that they can assume, the artist, investigates their ability to evoke feelings and affective scenarios and to collect and transmit memories.
If you are interested in Francesco Vullo’s work, please visit his website and Instagram.
About
Francesco Vullo was born in Sicily but has been living in Milan for several years. In 2016, he obtained his bachelor degree in illustration and animation at the European Institute of Design in Milan.
In his early career, he worked as a freelance illustrator collaborating with advertising agencies, magazines, and record companies. As a child, Francesco Vullo was passionate about drawing, and it has always been part of his life. In 2017, after being advised by artists friends, he decided to approach the world of sculpture and produce his first material works.
Today, his artistic research is focused on the study of materials and the use of natural elements or common objects as catalysts for his sculptural explorations. Sculpture being his preferred form of expression, he is fascinated by the possibility of creating works that interact with the space, the surrounding light, or the viewer.
“Experimentation and the study of materials play an especially significant role. I dedicate a lot of time to the research and design phase and every new idea is a valuable opportunity to approach techniques and possibilities that I have yet to explore.”
His most recurrent themes concern modern society, the emotional sphere of human beings and their relationship with the natural environment. In Vullo’s creative process, ordinary objects such as rolls of electrical tape, stones or circular saws lose their original function and generate new and unexpected associations that challenge our perception and offer us new keys to interpret reality.
Overthinking, 2020
“Within this cognitive dissonance, common expectations are unhinged and what is usually perceived as familiar becomes foreign.”
His origins and his strong bond to his land have inspired several works that investigate above all the facets of the delicate relationship between man and the natural environment. Stones, logs and marble slabs dialogue with steel structures, work tools and other man-made utensils, creating a fragile contrast between nature and artifice that is told through surreal images.
After the Night, 2021
Living between Milan and Sicily has been a big influence on Francesco Vullo’s works. Growing up between the inland and the eastern coasts of Sicily, these places and their stories have left a deep mark on his imagination. The contrast between these two realities has allowed the artist to elaborate on different stimuli and experiences that have been essential in feeding his creative process.
“In a world that goes faster and faster, I often feel the need to get away from the metropolis to reconcile with nature.”
Francesco Vullo is currently working on a new series called “Environmental Alterations”. In this series of sculptures, stones collected from the coast are compressed by plastic bands or metal structures that irreversibly alter their shapes. The artist reflects on how the human being, with his activities, has managed to affect geological processes with territorial, structural and climatic changes. With a strong visual contrast, the sculptures subvert the viewer's physical perception creating a sense of disorientation. The bands change the shape of the stones, creating a sensory short-circuit that leads us to question the true consistency of the stones.
Selected Exhibitions:
Art Biesenthal 2019 - Wehrmühle Biesenthal, 2019
ReA! Art Fair 2021 - Milano, 2021
Segrete. Tracce di Memoria - Palazzo Ducale di Genova, 2022 (upcoming)
Selected Press:
VAST Magazine Issue n°3 - 2021
The Art Gorgeous Issue n°9 - 2021
Exibart - 222 artisti emergenti su cui investire 2021
Compulsive content - 2021
Coeval Magazine - 2021