The young ones | March 2024

Von Buren Contemporary presents

THE YOUNG ONES

Group show featuring the works of

Daniele Antoniazzi

Mattia Barbalaco

Olmo Gasperini

Lau_Lana

Andrea Luzi

Presentation text: Anna Gasperini

The Young Ones will remain on show until April 13, 2024

Von Buren Contemporary

Via Giulia 13, 00186 Rome

Von Buren Contemporary is proud to present THE YOUNG ONES, a group exhibition focusing on Italy’s Gen Z which puts the gallery’s long-standing talent scouting activities fully in the spotlight.

The exhibition looks at the work of five emerging artists aged 26 and under: Daniele Antoniazzi, Mattia Barbalaco, Olmo Gasperini, Lau_Lana and Andrea Luzi. To complete the line-up of young talents, Von Buren Contemporary has selected aspiring Italian art critic Anna Gasperini to write the presentation text.

Each of the five artists selected seeks to offer a new take on traditional mediums or is busy experimenting with unconventional materials. All are creating consistently high-quality work with discipline and dedication, and have developed a style that is recognisable across multiple pieces – key elements which promise well for their future.

Daniele Antoniazzi, born in Conegliano in northern Italy in 1999, is currently completing his Master’s Degree in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice. Antoniazzi creates bright, vivid landscapes populated by lone figures and animals. Applying colour in a loose expressionistic manner, he gives his figures an archaic feel as they interact with the surrounding countryside but also generates an unsettling sensation as the viewer wonders whether the artist is turning back to an idyllic past or envisioning a dystopic future.

Mattia Barbalaco, born in Vibo Valentia in Calabria in 1999, attended the Rome Academy of Fine Arts where he recently graduated in Painting with distinction. A storyteller of unquestionable technical prowess, Barbalaco immerses the viewer in a narrative where multiple strands mysteriously unfold, often amid a variety of props and animals. It is unclear what exactly is happening and the action can be baffling, but there is always the sense that however disturbing, complex or sexually charged the atmosphere, the viewer can recognise the emotions at play.

Olmo Gasperini, who was born in Rome in 1997, graduated in Painting at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan in 2021 and is now completing his Master’s Degree. Gasperini is currently focused on the depiction of interiors: lonely, night-time spaces where windows framing star-studded skies break the claustrophobic atmosphere. Despite the total absence of the human figure, the artist’s rooms make one think of symbolic self-portraits. Gasperini’s work has already been showcased by noted galleries in Milan and Bologna.

Lau_Lana was born in Jesolo near Venice in 1998 and originally studied fashion. Taught to embroider as a child, Lau_Lana soon realised that this ancient craft was her true passion in life. Taking inspiration from the seaside town that she grew up in, she began ‘painting’ with wool thread on canvas, recreating beach scenes where the colours, patterns and intricacies of bathing costumes, deck chairs and towels dominate the picture. The strong connection to territory and the special attention to women provide rich material for Lau_Lana as she transforms craftsmanship into art.

Andrea Luzi, born in Ancona in northern Italy in 1997, is a graduate of Milan’s Brera Fine Arts Academy whose research has already brought him to the attention of Italian galleries and art critics. His latest inky, monochrome and heavily textured works are infused with the influence of street art, symbolism and science-fiction inspired futurism. A hypnotic mix of anthropomorphic and organic forms interact with industrial and cybernetic elements to create a dizzying dimension. This exhibition includes several of Luzi’s earlier monotype creations presented to the public for the first time.

Anna Gasperini was born in Rome in 2000 and is a graduate in art history from Rome’s La Sapienza University.

THE YOUNG ONES is a celebration not only of the imagination and creativity of these five gifted up-and-coming artists but also of gallery owner Michele von Büren’s ability to spot and nurture young talent – a capacity which is critical her gallery’s continued and growing success.