Simone Tomasello

Trained as an animator, Simone has been focusing on painting since his graduation in 2016/2017 at Scuola del Libro, Urbino. Animation techniques have brought physical gestures and a spontaneous immediacy into his work, which together with writing explores intimate and personal themes as well as pop and internet culture.

In his practice, Simone uses acrylics, oil, and mixed media, such as ceramics, oil-sand mixtures, papier-mâché, linocut, printmaking, and graffiti to create bright coloured portraits and big-scale figurative compositions adorned with notes and symbols recalling Matisse, Gauguin, or Basquiat. Tomasello has been exhibiting in galleries and published in magazines since 2017.

Statement

There are so many themes to explore and share, especially with topics like graffiti, skateboarding, internet pop culture, reggae music, or historical events and symbols. I combine my personal life, influenced by living in the underground of my province, with war stories or world climate disasters.

In my work, I am interested to portray great poets, cowboys, influencers, sportsmen, superheroes, historical and religious figures in typical war stories, climate and economic crises, and hunger contextualised in the modern world. How contemporary society is forged by the culture of 'internet, movie, photography and literature.’