Florence born artist Leonardo Meoni (b.1994) explores the dynamic relationship between creation and destruction, what is concealed and what can be revealed through his images and mediums. Meoni’s technique does not involve adding or subtracting material, but instead focuses on manipulating the fibers to reveal or conceal elements, creating ambiguity and fluidity between creative and destructive forces. The concept of borders is central to his work. The marks made on velvet exist in a liminal space, shifting between presence and absence. His work questions the boundaries between light, shadow, and imagery, challenging viewers to look beyond the surface.
LVH: How does the material velvet hold significance to you?
LEO:
Velvet itself is not so significant for me. Actually I believe that this material is more of a frustration. It is difficult for it to be discovered, it is rare for a painting to arrive immediately without being cancelled at least 3/4 times. What is especially interesting to me is the way velvet can obscure and reveal, which mirrors my themes of concealment, removal, and revelation. Velvet allows you to bring to a higher level of ambiguity because it absorbs light and even sounds.
Velvet is linked to where I have my studio, Prato. Prato has somehow always been linked to fabric: used clothes and other fabrics arrived in Prato from all over the world and took on a new life and form. Foreign objects were often found within these shipments of fabric, such as American dollars, incense sticks from India, seashells, etc. Prato becomes a sort of ethnological museum inside the textile factories. All these foreign influences have travelled to Prato and into my works. This idea of giving something discarded a second chance strongly goes with my approach to both velvet and the images I work with, where I often reveal hidden or forgotten stories.
LVH: What is the connection between your mediums and your imagery?
LEO:
The images or shapes I choose are in an intrinsic dialogue with the material. When depicted in velvet, the images become almost sculptural. The static images are always related to movement: I often depict things that have been moved from one place to another, or destroyed to be rebuilt in a new form.
“I am addicted to images: There is too much light, there are too many useless images, there is a kind of fiction, a masquerade at play. I can only lose myself and fall in love with hidden and obscure images.” -excerpt from Meoni's Los Angeles exhibition, Amanita, March 2024
LVH: How do you select the images and references you depict?
LEO:
I often select images based on stories or from archives I’ve built over time. In the beginning of my work, I was (and still am) fascinated by markings, drawings, and other traces - intentional or unintentional - on new and historical walls, pavements, building facades etc. A lot of those museums were ones I worked in during my early twenties in Florence. I’m drawn to the idea of obscured or removed figures, like the destroyed or relocated statues. I once painted an oven-hut that I read about in an article. This nomadic South American tribe rebuilt a new oven every time they moved, and left the old oven in the previous place. The title of the work is ‘Temporary oven’. The process of choosing an image isn’t always straightforward, often it’s spontaneous.
LVH: Are there conversations today that are informing your image and motif selection?
LEO:
Yes. I think a lot about hidden and obscure truths in society, both past and present. Conversations around political movements, cultural history, and the way images are manipulated or erased play a huge role in my art. I also explore more intimate ideas of concealment, like the way certain truths remain hidden in personal and collective memory. Recently, I was intrigued by a legal case involving a Danish circus act called the "dancing ducks." The ducks appeared to dance to music, but it was later revealed that they were forced to move quickly on a hot metal plate, driven by pain. Basically the case fascinates me as an example of illusion and concealment.
LVH: You live in Florence. Could you tell us if and how your connection with Italian heritage has informed your identity as an artist and the work you create?
LEO:
Italy is like an attic full of ancient objects. You have to learn to appreciate the importance of these objects. The objects relate to stories, facts. We know, however, that attics are also obscure and undiscovered. Therefore, being an artist in Italy is not an easy job, you carry this attic on your shoulders.
LVH: You recently had an exhibition at the Stefano Bardini Museum in Florence, and you worked at that museum in your early twenties. How was the experience to have your works alongside walls you spent so much time with? In what ways do you think your previous work experiences inspired your practice?
LEO:
The most rewarding part of working in these museums was uncovering subtle details, like how worms had damaged wooden objects or how frescoes had been restored in different ways over time. This inspired my recent exhibition at the Bardini Museum, titled ‘Gli altri colori sono tutti caduti’, was a line from Cesare Brandi’s text on fresco restoration. When fragments fall from a fresco, they expose what lies beneath, and this hidden layer is just as significant as the surface. This became a way for me to explore themes of inside versus outside, what is visible and what remains concealed.
LVH: Are you experimenting with any new mediums in your practice?
LEO:
Yes, recently I’ve been experimenting with glass. It has a certain fragility and ability to obscure and reveal. I’m particularly drawn to how dust or dirt on glass can alter perception, much like the tactile quality of velvet. I am always working inside the idea of a self portrait, but with different materials. Self portrait in this context doesn't mean that you represent yourself, but rather your point of view.
LVH: What is next for you?
LEO:
I have an upcoming exhibition in a museum in Pienza. In 2025, I will have a show at Amanita gallery in New York City and also a solo show at a new foundation called the Fondazione Bonollo. I am looking forward to a lot of traveling, time to read books and develop my research.
