Perino e Vele

1966, Avellino, Italy (Emiliano Perino) - 1965, Rotondi, Italy (Luca Vele)

The artistic duo Perino e Vele, formed by Emiliano Perino and Luca Vele, came together in the early 1990s and is among the most original voices on the Italian contemporary art scene. Known for their unconventional use of coloured papier-mache, they have transformed a humble material into a sharp, ironic sculptural language, addressing social, political and cultural themes with an aesthetic that blends pop lightness with critical depth.
Their works - held in prestigious public and private collections, including the MADRE Museum in Naples - combine craft skill with a surreal imagination, in an ongoing reflection on everyday absurdity and the forms of memory.

Perino & Vele

Untitled, papier-mache, 2010,
48x58 cm

This untitled papier-mache composition emblematically expresses the sculptural vocabulary of Perino & Vele: a fantastical creature - resembling a walrus or an organic totem - lies on a background of bright red tiles, halfway between geometric abstraction and dreamlike setting.
The soft, serial forms, covered in a texture recalling scales or tiles, seem to evoke a parallel world made of ambiguous objects and silent presences. The whole scene is immersed in a red monochrome, which heightens the effect of estrangement and draws the eye into an emotional vibration between play and unease.
As is often the case in the duo's works, what appears playful conceals deeper layers, and what seems familiar reveals itself as indecipherable. A poetic invitation to question our relationship with forms, materials and the hidden meanings of reality.