Since 1998 I have been making a series of artworks using as medium weapons.
My project, "LADIES WEAPONS", is an artistic fashion-fiction visual story regarding the complex
relationship between fashion and crime.
Pistols, machine guns, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, hand grenades, rocket launchers are made as if they have been styled by fashion designers turning them up in glamourous items for sophisticated ladies.
A serious & ironic artistic exploration about the power of seduction of fashion system. The complex, paradoxical and ambiguous relationship between ethic and aesthetic: I consider fashion system like a sort of “pollution factor” invading every visual and practical aspects of life in Western World and mostly in Italy.
An elegant look can change the nature of weapons, and how?
This is the question..... Using brightly laquered colours, blings&jewels and fake furs I create a range of specialized items for imaginary demanding ladies
At the same time it is an artistic view about objects usually belonging to “male universe” that change their sex becoming “female stuff” (I have been always pretty fascinated by the “sex” of the objects surrounding us in every day life) and my artworks became a sort of "trans" stuff.
The works of LADIES WEAPONS project exist only in one exemplar and are usually presented inside special showcases. Each one has a name of a woman: AURORA indeed, and many others: EVA, CLAUDIA, INGROD, STELLA, FRANCESCA, ROXANNE, NADINE, ROBERTA......
1958 Marostica / Italy, lives and works in Milan, London, and Asiago
Antonio Riello is one of Italy’s most eclectic, visionary and controversial artists, working in techniques as varied as painting, sculpture, design, photography, installation and videogames. Incorporating the ironic manner of a conceptual charade, Riello manipulates and almost mistreats the images and objects which he invents. He is committed to “explore” (artistically) the most topical and controversial issues of contemporary Western society, and he does think ambivalence is the “symbolic form” of our present time: a controlled degree of ambiguity is an usual “ingredient” of his artistic research.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
“SOLO RIELLO”, Kanalidarte, Brescia (I) (Cur Valerio Deho)
2018
“MUSEOMANIA #8”, Museo Civico Bassano, Bassano DG (I) (Cur C, Casarin)
2017
“NE’ CAPO NE’ CODA”, Galleria LABS, Bologna (I) (Cur M. Meneguzzo)
2016
“EX VOTO”, Museo Civico Bassano, Bassano DG (I), (Cur C. Casarin)
2015
“LIBRICIDA”, Galleria Paolo Tonin, Torino (I)
2014
“INCENDIE DE LA BIBLIOTHEQUE”, Galerie Rossi, Geneva (CH) (cur Martina Cavallarin)
2013
“ANTONIO RIELLO”, Galerie Fuckner, Ludwisburg (D)
2012
“DIABOLUS IN VITRO”, Salon Vert Gallery, London (UK), cur James Putnam
2011
“ORIGINAL RIELLO”, Galleria M. Rizzo, Venezia (I) (cur Martina Cavallarin)
“ONLY THE GOOD/BAD” , Nuehaus Kunstevrein, Neuhaus (D) (cur. Susanne Jakob)
2010
“ORDINARY THINGS”, Potnia Thiron Gallery, Athens (GR) (cur. Alessandro Vincentelli)
“BE SQUARE! GAM”, Galleria Arte Moderna, Torino (I), (cur. Danilo Eccher)
2009
“ACRITER & FIDELITER”, Galleria Lipanje&Puntin, Roma (I) (cur. Jonathan Turner)
“BE SQUARE! BALTIC”, Gateshead (UK) (cur. Alessandro Vincentelli)
“ASHES TO ASHES”, GlobeGallery, Newcastle u/Tyne (UK) (cur. Rashida Davison)
“FESTIVAL FILOSOFIA MODENA”, Galleria BettaFrigieri, Modena (I) (cur. Luca Panaro)
2008
“ELEGANT WARFARE”, Galleria M. Rizzo, Treviso (I) (cur. Martina Cavallarin)
2007
“BE SQUARE!”, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (A) (cur. Gerald Matt)
“POLITICALLY INCORRECT”, Potnia Thiron Gallery, Athens (GR)
2006
“ANTONIO RIELLO”, Mogadishni Gallery, Copenhagen (DK)
2005
“AIRMART”, MART, Rovereto (I), (cur. Giorgio Verzotti)
“OPERE ROMANE”, Galleria DeCrescenzo&VIesti, Roma (I)
“RIELLO”, David Roberts Foundation, London (UK)
“FLAKTURM DOWN”, Kunsthalel Wien, Vienna (A) (cur. Jurgen Weisshauptl)
2004
“RIELLO”, Museo Casabianca, Malo (I) (cur. Giobatta Meneguzzo)
2003
“ANTONIO RIELLO”, Mulino 503, Vicenza (I)
“RIELLO”, Istituto Italiano di Cultura, London (UK) (cur. Vittorio Urbani)
“GUNS”, Galleria Astuni, Pietrasanta (I) (cur. Luca Beatrice)
“CLUB SANDWICH”, Galleria Nuova Icona, Venezia (I) (cur. Vittorio Urbani)
2002
“LADIES WEAPONS”, Voss Galerie, Dusseldorf (D)
2001
“RIELLO”, Galerie Mitterand, Ginevra (CH)
“LADIES WEAPONS”, Torch Gallery, Amsterdam (NL)
“LADIES WEAPONS”, Paula Boettcher Galerie, Berlin (D)
2000
“NEXT TIME”, MAPP, Milano (I), (cur. Marco Meneguzzo)
“ITALIANI BRAVA GENTE”, Torch Gallery, Amsterdam (NL)
“LADIES WEAPONS”, Frank Elbaz Galerie, Paris (F)
1998
“COLLEZIONE AUTUNNO”, Galleria Perugi, Padova (I) (cur. Guido Bartorelli)
“IBG”, ARGEKUNST, Bolzano (I) (cur. Marion Piffer)
“AR”, Galleria Artra, Milano (I) (cur. Giorgio Verzotti)
1997
“VIVO PER MIRACOLO”, Galleria Perugi, Padova (I)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION
2019
“GLASSTRESS2019”, Berengo, Venezia (I)
2018
“VERTICALITY”, Rosenfeld Gallery, London (UK)
2017
“BiIENNALE DI VENEZIA - MODUS”, Venezia (I), (Cur M. Cavallarin)
2016
“CROSSING LINES”, Openspace London-Istanbul, London (UK) (Cur Huma Kabakci, Billur Tinsel)
“GLASS”, Dordrecht Museum, Dordrecht (NL) (cur Gerrit Willems)
“TOYS ARE US”, London Crypt, London (UK) (cur Kosha Hussain)
2015
“NO PLACE TO HIDE”, Galleria Civica Monfalcone, Monfalcone (I)
2014
“CHANAKKALE BIENNALE”, Istanbul and Chanakkale, (TR)(cur Beral Madra)
“THEY USED TO CALL IT THE MOON”, Baltic, Newcastle/Gateshead (UK)
2012
“SWEPT AWAY”, MAD, New York (USA) (cur. David McFadden)
2011
“GOODLUCK” , Galleria De Crescenzo & Viesti, Roma (I)
“PERCORSIARTEITALIANA-VAF”, MART, Rovereto (I) (cur. Daniela Ferrari)
“IL BEL PAESE DELL’ARTE” , GAMEC, Bergamo (I) (cur. Giacinto Di Pietrantonio)
“54 BIENNALE DI VENEZIA” , GLASSTRESS2 (cur. B. Clearwater, L. Edelkoort, P. Noever, D. Paparoni) ITALIANS DO IT BETTERS (cur M. Bittanti, D. Quaranta) ROUNDTHECLOCK (cur. M. Cavallarin)
“DER TRAUM VOM FLIEGE”, Museum der Welt, Berlin (D) (cur. Thomas Hauschild , Britta N. Heinrich)
“DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE”, Galleria Lipanje&Puntin, Trieste (I)
“THE SEXUAL OBJECT”, Gallery Salon-Vert, London (UK) (cur. Maria Nicolacopoulou)
2010
“SCULTURA ITALIANA XXI SEC”, Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano (I) (cur. Marco Meneguzzo)
“LONGITUDINI”, Galleria M. Rizzo, Venezia (I) (cur. Martina Cavallarin)
“CHEST PLAN”, GlobeGallery, Newcastle /Tyne (UK) (cur. Rashida Davison)
“LEGGERO”, Festival Comodamente, Vittorio Veneto (I) (cur. Daniele Capra)
2009
“LIBERTA’ “, Fortezza, (I) (cur. Marion Piffer)
“REMAP”, Athens (GR) (cur. Maria Karas)
“PREMIO TERNA”, Chelsea Art Museum, New York (USA) (cur. Gianluca Marziani)
2008
“RESIDENCE PERMIT”, GlobeGaller, Newcastle/Tyne (UK)
“THE DAWN OF TOMORROW”, Elgiz Museum, Istanbul (TR) (cur. Vittorio Urbani)
“ICARIO”, Montepulciano (I) (cur. Marco Meneguzzo)
“EXPERIMENTA”, Ministero Esteri Italiano, Roma (I)
“XV QUADRIENNALE”, Palazzo Esposizioni, Roma (I) (cur. Lorenzo Canova)
“ARMI”, Galleria DeCrescenzo&Viesti, Roma (I)
2007
“ITALIAN ART”, Hanoi Contemporary Museum, Hanoi (VIET) (cur. Lorenzo Canova)
“OPENING”, Poulsen Gallery, Copenhagen (DK)
“BIENNALE RIJEKA”, Rijeka Museum, Rijeka (HR) (cur. Vittorio Urbani)
“ON THE EDGE OF THE VISION”, Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta (INDIA) (cur. Lorenzo Canova)
2006
“BANGBANG”, Museè d’Art et Metieres, Saint-Etienne (F)
“SYNOPALIA”, Synope (TR) (cur. Vittorio Urbani)
“THIS BALL IS SQUARE!”, Galerie Deschler, Berlin (D)
“ERETICA”, Galleria Civica Arte Contemporanea Palermo, Palermo (I) (cur. Demetrio Paparoni)
“MEDITERRANEO”, Arsenale Navale Taranto, Taranto (I) (cur. Antonio Davossa)
“NEXT LEVEL”, Wolfsburg Kunstverein, Wolfsburg (D) (cur. Martin Wolf)
“CHECK-IN EUROPE”, EPO, Munchen (D) (cur. Beral Madra)
2005
“WORLD IS A SAFER PLACE”, GlobeGallery, NewCastle/tyne (UK), (cur. Francis Gomila)
“DRESSCODE”, Neuhausen Museum, Nehuhausen (D) (cur. Susanne Jakob)
“HANDLUNGS...”, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (A) (cur. Gerald Matt)
“IL CORPO ELETTRICO” Palazzo Chiarulli, Campobasso (I), (cur. Lorenzo Canova)
2004
“LEGAL/ILLEGAL”, NGKB, Berlin (D) (cur. Susanne Jakob)
“LIE,LUST, FASHION”, AGP, Berlin (D) (cur. Dodi Reifenberg)
“REWIND”, Wiesbaden Kunstverein, Wiesbaden (D) (cur. Claudia Klang)
2003
“REWIND”, Wiesbaden Kunstverein, Wiesbaden (D) (cur. Claudia Klang)
2003
“KIDS ARE US”, Galleria Civica Arte Contemporanea Trento, Trento (I) (cur. Maurizio Sciaccaluga, Fabio Cavallucci)
“DIE VERKLARUNG”, Galerie Miriam Charim, Vienna (A) (cur. Klaus Kladler)
“MELTING POP”, Palazzo Papesse, Siena (I) (cur. Gianluca Marziani)
“ATTACK”, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna (A) (cur. Gerald Matt)
2002
“SCULTURA ITALIANA XX SEC”, Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, Milano (I) (cur. Marco Meneguzzo)
“ENGAGED IN RECREATION”, Borusian Foundation, Istanbul (TR) (cur. Hugh Mullholland, Vittorio Urbani)
2001
“B&B”, Aktionsforum Praterinsel, Munchen (D) ( Erno Vroonen)
“TIRANA BIENNALE”, Tirana (ALB) (cur. Michele Robecchi)
2000
“WELCHOME”, Palazzo Esposizioni Roma, Roma (I) (cur. Gianluca Marziani)
“FUTURAMA”, Museo Pecci, Prato (I) (cur. Marco Meneguzzo)
1999
“MW & CS” Amstterdam (NL) (cur. Edwig Fijgen)
1998
“TABOO”, Business Design Center Islington, London (UK) (cur, Michael Rappaport)
“ARTE ITALIANA”, Kiel Kunstverein, Kiel (D) (cur Christina Roll)
“CONCETTUALISMO IRONICO”, Freiburg Kunstverein, Freiburg (D) (cur. Stefan Berg)
1997
“OFFICINA ITALIANA”, Galleria Arte Moderna, Bologna (I) (cur. Renato Barilli)
1996
“PANORAMA EMERGENTE”, Trevi Art Museum, Trevi (I) (cur. Giancarlo Politi)
“XII QUADRIENNALE”, Palazzo Esposizioni Roma, Roma (I) (cur. Ludovico Pratesi)
1995
Photo credit: Antonio and Elvira Riello
Website
www.antonioriello.com