References to reality, references to the aesthetics of the Viennese Secession (Klimt and Von Stuck above all) and real characters depicted in a manga key. After the first photographic exhibition dedicated to Steve Jobs, ‘CamGirl’ by Max Ferrigno inaugurates the cycle of pictorial exhibitions at the MEC museum in Palermo (Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 452); the new pop artist born in Casale Monferrato known for making the mixture of cinema, Japanese iconography and manga aesthetics the stylistic code of his works.

A collection of thirteen works, curated by Miliza Rodic, which will be exhibited from 1 July to 30 September 2021 and where the Piedmontese but Palermitan artist by adoption, for the first time, is inspired by real models respecting their anatomical proportions without however abandon its unmistakable style.

“Until now and during these first ten years of career, the morphology of my characters has always been linked to the Anime and manga canons, therefore anatomically in some ways disproportionate. In this case, for the first time I experience the real proportion. Only the eyes remain somewhat linked to my world, because in addition to the chrome plating you can, in my opinion, see my aesthetics in the eyes. ” explains.

To populate the thirteen works of CamGirl, in an explosion and riot of bright, intense and dissonant colors, are mostly uninhibited girls intent on showing a cheeky eroticism, inspiring muses 2.0: super sexy Cosplayers, winking Pin-ups and provocative Suicide Girls from large shiny eyes, depicted all in costume and for the most part with tattoos in plain sight on the body and which – being inside a space that pays homage to the Apple world – refer to the iconography of the most famous apple brand (bitten) in the world.

CamGirl is therefore the analysis of a digital and social phenomenon that in recent years has spread more and more, creating enormous turnover and even involving stars of the caliber of Bella Thorne, who have nothing to do with the world of ‘ hard; phenomenon that has become the subject of study and investigation by the artist as he himself says:

“For some time I had been following social profiles of cosplayers and alt models for the realization of my works but also to understand some concepts because the female image in my work has always had an important presence; and my female icons have almost always been influenced by alt models, cosplayers. And following the evolution of these performers, in recent years we have clashed with platforms that sold some image and communication services. So – continues Ferrigno – following the performative-photographic path of some cosplayers I began to follow those that most reflected my aesthetic circle, almost as an inspirational muse for my works; and then doing some analyzes related to the pop iconization of the pornographic industry theme, this has become a sub-folder that analyzed with Giuseppe Forello, we realized that it could be perfectly inserted in an Apple branded concept “.

A dreamy and imaginative ‘pop’ universe that mixes the world of cinema with manga, European and Japanese culture, eroticism and the naivety of old Japanese cartoons and where twelve sexy nerd-alternative girls with bodies marked by tattoos, they capture the viewer with their big eyes. A mix of reality and fantasy, therefore, since all the works are inspired by real girls and a very large following of fans (from a million followers to rise) that the artist has analyzed, studied and followed closely; also referring to the artists of the Viennese Secession. Thus, inspired by the famous Nuda Veritas by Gustav Klimt, Ferrigno proposes floral motifs and essential geometries in his Pink Candy (one of the two Italian CamGirls present and chosen for this collection and also the only one with which he did a shooting job for the purposes of realization of the work). While, always in the wake of the Secession, the iconography of his Sia Siberia is a clear homage to Franz Von Stuck’s “Il Peccato”.

The exhibition – open for free only by reservation from Monday to Saturday (19.30-22.00) – was strongly desired and conceived by Giuseppe Forello, architect and entrepreneur from Palermo, as well as founder of MEC, who comments on the first post-pandemic cultural event inside of the structure: “We worked a lot on this exhibition, which finally sees the light today. I am really happy to host and invest in Max’s art who, besides being a great friend, is a great artist for me. In the past we have collaborated several times but this one here at MEC is the first ever and I could not be more proud to inaugurate this cycle of pictorial exhibitions with him ”.

Palermo – MEC Museum (Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 452)
01 July – 30 September 2021
Free admission by reservation only from Monday to Saturday (19.30 – 22.00)

www.mecpalermo.it