Alessia Iannetti was born in 1985 in Carrara and attended The Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied with Professor Omar Galliani. She inherited his skilful technique of graphite on wood panel, and the “stigmata” of the most fascinating contemporary illustration which can be seen both in her perspectives and in her cinematography framing, made of blacks and whites, and of endless shades of greys, restoring the perfection of depth to monochrome and drawing.
Unlike today’s conceptual language, not contemporary enough, Iannetti’s art is cultured, confident of her figurative veer, and proud of joining a dreamscape and surreal Neoclassicism that ranks her as one of the most interesting artists of the New Surrealism and New Pop art scene.
Even though Iannetti masters darkness and the most intense art-house Noir, she chooses not to seduce through fear or anxiety. She would rather urge our eyes towards an intimate, other dimension, whose rational parameters are upside down, as it is in a dream. Where silence tells of a feeble flap of wings, of a hidden heavy heart in which beauty’s many colours live, and that is ready to implode to bring them to light.
Iannetti’s works are imbued with a nocturnal mysticism inspired by the Dark Anglo-Saxon notes (to whom the author makes a precise reference by honouring, in the titles of her works, authors as Smashing Pumpkins, Joy Division, The Cure, Hole…). Her works suggest a highly rich Theme of The Shadow, that recalls both V. Corcos’, D.G. Rossetti’s and F. Khnopff’s sublime liberty painting, and the “personal” romantic and dusty features of Lady Hawarden’s, Margaret Cameron’s and even Lewis Carroll’s photography, for her naturally dramatic characters.
Hence, her models become delicate maidens on the verge of myth and everyday life, bordered with grey woods’ leaves that let the Artist mix light and shadow, as it might be in a Cameron like “Glass House”. Meanwhile, the mysterious uncertain auras shrouding the models are so evocative that make the viewer believe he can hear whisperings and rustlings, and reminds him of J. Lindsay’s literature, and, above all, of P. Weir’s famous masterpiece “Picnic at Hanging Rock”.
The Artist’s exhibitions spread between Europe and United States and mark her continuous progress in the Contemporary Art scene. Iannetti’s first personal exhibition “Daphne Descends” (Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome, 2013), has been her debut on the scene. Going back to one of the most ancient forms of narration, the artist decided to turn her gaze inward in order to discover the roots of her magical universe through Apollo and Daphne’s story. The ancient myth is set in an innocent dimension, an ethereal wood enlivened by thick leaves and whispers telling a story…that of the artist herself.
“In the Footsteps of my Shadow” (La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, 2015), is a second step in the search for the artist’s uncontrollable unconscious. Here, the endless night is filtered by sudden sparkles putting the light on new glances. Mysterious souls invite us to look for a secret that hides among the roses’ petals and the trees’ eyes.
Finally, the enchanted creatures guide us to the imaginary of “Cyclothymia” (Dorothy Circus Gallery, Rome, 2017). This is a more mature scenery; the artist wants us to explore the most intimate instants of her mind in all its states. Now the mystic secret is partly unveiled, it concerns the feeble eternity of beauty, happiness and melancholy that defeat time leaving everything suspended on the wings of moths and fireflies.
With “Aurora Consurgens” (Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, 2018), the artist reveals a new kind of scenery, where the process of metamorphosis encompasses both the physical and the spiritual dimension. It is a solitary journey through the elusive visions of the mind, starting in the deepest darkness until we reach Aurora, the brightest of the lights.
Her astonishing work has been shown in many institutional events and group shows around the world. Among these, there are “Pop Surrealism-Stay Foolish!” (Museo Casa del Conte Verde, Rivoli, 2012) and “Lacrima Acquarium”, (Casa dell’Architettura, Museo dell’Acquario, Rome, 2013), both curated by Dorothy Circus Gallery.
Alessia Iannetti also collaborated with Waxploitation Records for the illustrations of “The Little Boy and the Glowing Globe” (“Stories for Ways and Means”), a story written by Anna von Hausswolff and Maria von Hausswolff and interpreted by the artist in her unique style. The works produced by Iannetti for this book will be exhibited at Dorothy Circus Gallery in London in February 2019.
Alessia Iannetti’s work has been recognised and published by the major magazines of the field such as Hi-Fructose Magazine, Juxtapoz Magazine and Beautiful Bizarre, and reviewed by renowned blogs, such as Boooooooom, Super Sonic Art, Empty Kingdom, Wide Walls, Platinum Cheese, and many others.
