Saatchi Online is proud to present Mattia Biagi’s 15,ooo SQ.FT installation “Storm of life,” a solo installation at The Farmers and Merchants Bank Building at 411 S. Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles from July 14th to 30th.

Artwork by Mattia Biagi on Saatchi Online:

About the Event:

Storm of Life is a continuation of Biagi’s recent series of works examining common cultural superstitions–their origins and the stigmas attached to them — while questioning the extent to which we let these notions infiltrate and effect our daily lives. For Biagi, superstitions are based on fear and irrationality, and by creating sculptures and installations that confront, expose and reify some of the best known, and potent, superstitions in Western culture, he’s forcing viewers to confront those very same ideas of dogma and slavish devotion to the irrational. Thus liberation, as a concept and a way of life, is central to the series.

Using thousands of black umbrellas as his basic building material, Biagi will build an extraordinary environment that will take over the entire interior of a former bank, with winding pathways, towering structures and a full-scale domicile. Both tactile and conceptual, the experience will be intensely immersive and mark a distinct evolution in the artist’s career.

Additionally, 101 selected guests will receive special umbrellas in the mail, along with instructions on how to install them in the exhibit on opening night.

Video elements, curated by Paul Young of Young Projects, have been included to add punctuation to the overall installation, offering unexpected visual moments by some of today’s most exciting digital artists. Furthermore, Twentieth Gallery, Paul Smith, and Barracuda stores in Los Angeles will present an installation of umbrellas at their locations.

Selected works from Mattia’s installation artwork will be on display during a preview show at the Italian Cultural Institute from June 8^th to the 18^th, with the opening reception unveiling the show on June 8^th from 7 to 9pm.

About the artist:

Born in Italy and living and working in LA, Biagi’s art examines issues from the war to materialism in the artist’s study of his own personal journey.  Recent solo exhibitions include Recognize Your Spiritual Need at Holster Projects, London, and Rose Like a Phoenix From The Ashes, Anna Kustera, New York. Biagi has exhibited internationally and has received critical attention from publications such as Art in America, Artforum and skira catalogue in 2011.  Biagi has an upcoming show at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC 2012.