Belve

From September 16th to October 1st, 2022, La Fonderia Art Gallery in Florence will host Belve (Beasts), a solo exhibition by Matteo Moni, a young artist from Ravenna and winner of the second edition of the Whatsart prize, a competition for emerging artists promoted by Fondente.

The exhibition Belve centers on a world inhabited by primordial instinct, wild beasts, and distorted characters—bundles of muscles and violent expressions that create a whirlwind of passions, drawing the viewer into a timeless space. Here, distant reminiscences come to mind in the form of imaginary worlds, where memories of the arcane visions from Hieronymus Bosch’s panels and Romanesque capitals inhabited by monstrous creatures blend with the young artist’s fluid brushwork.

Moni presents a narrative of instinct, impetuous emotions, and originality, but also one of technique. His two self-portraits, chosen as the symbolic works of the exhibition, are a prime example of his meticulous study of the figure—moving from the visible to what is real yet unseen, as if to peer inside to reach the deepest, most mysterious, dark, and bestial recesses of the human being. It is essential to observe every single detail of flesh, skin, and eyes that stare back into you, because every detail in Moni’s work is meant to provoke strong emotions, vibrating through body and soul, and generating questions whose answers lie only in the eyes of those who truly look.

Matteo Moni is one of the young emerging talents selected by Fondente, whose purpose is to create value around contemporary art by designing and developing a sustainable, regenerative, circular, prosperous, and enduring economic, social, and cultural model.

Art is born to unite and communicate, and Fondente is its full expression.