Do you think that fashion and automotive industry have stopped colliding?
Mezzi Fontanesi, the four wheeled compilation of the mysterious artist who conquered the Instagram
ABOUT
Nel linguaggio informatico, un hub (letteralmente fulcro, elemento centrale) non è altro che un concentratore, un dispositivo che funge da nodo di smistamento di una rete di comunicazione dati organizzata. Insomma, si tratta di una scatoletta in grado di connettere più computer tra loro creando così una rete.
Garage Italia Hub nasce proprio con l’intenzione di creare una rete sempre più ampia per condividere con voi nuove idee, progetti e contenuti digitali.
Da qui l’idea di creare una piattaforma che sia il centro della nostra creatività… ma anche della vostra.
CONTACT
Solomostry si laurea in Graphic design nel 2012. Vive e lavora a Milano.
Solomostry possiamo dire essere un artista poliedrico – che spazia dalla serigrafia al muralismo, dalla pittura all’installazione – ed è proprio per merito della sua essenza eclettica che intorno al 2007 – e grazie all’incontro con alcune realtà techno/clubbing presenti nella capitale lombarda – si allontana dai graffiti e plasma nuovi soggetti, i suoi soggetti: i Mostri.
La ricerca di Solomostry è caratterizzata da una linea compositiva spezzata che si protrae a comporre entità geometriche espressive, rivelanti di violente emozioni. Si tratta di maschere mostruose interpreti delle impressioni, delle trepidazioni, delle inquietudini, degli eccessi, presenti nella vita di tutti i giorni. Il marcato outline costruisce e distrugge al tempo stesso. Le dure linee squarciano la superficie e segnano spazi entro cui giocano colori vivi e piatti, ormai tipici di Solomostry.
Solomostry è rappresentato in Italia dalla galleria Lunetta 11, in Svizzera da Kolly gallery e a Parigi da Cohle gallery.
Ha collaborato con diversi brand sia italiani che stranieri rapportandosi a differenti media e i suoi lavori sono visibili in diverse parti del mondo.
Come definiresti il tuo stile?
Ho sempre cercato di esprimere i miei sentimenti in maniera pura e consona all’ ambiente in cui li mettevo.
L’elemento di esplorazione principale del mio lavoro è la linea e l’impatto, attirare l’attenzione di chi guarda.
La linea, nei graffiti è ciò che ti permette di costruire una tag, ovvero il tuo nome, la tua identità.
La linea che costruisce la tag è lo scheletro del tuo graffito, lo scheletro di quello che fai vedere al mondo, di quello che metti in strada.
Per questo la ricerca deve essere improntata sull’impatto, devono riuscirti a vedere da molto lontano, in strada ci sono un sacco di distrazioni, ma tu devi spiccare su tutti, o non ce la puoi fare.
Per riuscire in tutto questo sono sempre alla ricerca di nuove tecniche e materiali su cui sperimentare.
Cos’è per te la personalizzazione?
La personalizzazione per me è il distinguersi dalla massa ed essere unico.
Questa ricerca di unicità si riflette sulle capsule che vado a creare in limited edition, customizzando qualunque tipo di media mi si presenta davanti.
Rapportarmi con materiali diversi è una continua sfida a creare qualcosa di nuovo ed unico.
Quanto ami Milano e cos’ha in più delle altre città?
Milano è la mia città natale, ho vissuto in altre città in passato, come Barcellona e Berlino, e ne ho girate altre tante per lavoro, ma Milano mi richiama sempre a se. Milano sono i miei amici e i miei affetti e ancora di più il mio quartiere, la mia zona di cui vado molto fiero e che cerco nel mio piccolo di portare avanti.
A che cosa ti sei ispirato per la customizzazione della Jumpsuit?
Su questo progetto abbiamo lavorato a 4 mani, perchè in SOLOMOSTRY oltre all’artista, c’è un team dietro che crede e supporta ogni progetto, dalle installazioni, alle customizzazioni fino ad arrivare alle edizioni limitate che facciamo uscire.
Quindi direi che l’ispirazione principale è stata l’appartenenza ad un gruppo, il fare parte della stessa bandiera e speriamo che chi indosserà questo capo si sentirà parte integrante di quello che portiamo avanti tutti i giorni.
Come l’hai realizzata?
È stata realizzata completamente a mano in serigrafia.
C’è una tecnica che prediligi in particolare tra quelle che utilizzi nei tuoi lavori?
La produzione solomostry è suddivisa in tante aree, dalla pittura su tela, all’installazione con diversi materiali, alla serigrafia per il custom di abbigliamento, e ultimamente alla ceramica.
Nella pittura prediligo strumenti che mi permettano di avere un tratto d’impatto, come pennelli, spray, ma il mio preferito rimane lo spruzzino da giardinaggio a pressione caricato a vernice.
La serigrafia è un altra tecnica che amo molto, perché mi permette di replicare in serie le grafiche su diversi materiali come la stoffa, la carta, il legno e tutto quello che riesco a stampare.
Negli ultimi due anni ho ripreso ad utilizzare la ceramica e al momento è la tecnica che mi intriga di più, perché non ho ancora il controllo totale, e quindi mi presenta sempre nuovi problemi, che una volta risolti mi generano grande soddisfazione.
Come nasce un Mostro?
All’inizio i soggetti dei miei lavori erano Mostri, almeno io li chiamavo cosi,
erano entità che si impossessavano del nostro IO interiore e ci incoraggiavano a fare cose di cui eravamo spaventati.
Erano sentimenti potenti e inarrestabili, impattanti, sentimenti puri che rappresentavano l’animo di chi si sente giovane e ribelle.
Erano tutti diversi, ma tutti uniti verso un unico scopo, accompagnare e avvolgere lo spettatore donandogli una forza sconosciuta che lo faceva sentire invincibile e pronto ad affrontare quello che gli aspettava dal suo cammino.
Crescendo, il tempo ci mette davanti a svariate situazioni, che ci portano ad affrontare i nostri sentimenti in maniera più contenuta e sistematica,
ci costruiamo armature fatte di svariate emozioni, per essere pronti in ogni situazione a non far capire quello che è il nostro vero IO.
Dove sogni di vedere un giorno esposti i tuoi Mostri?
Sono soddisfatto del percorso fatto fino ad ora, ho già portato i mostri in diverse parti del mondo, quindi in realtà più che sognare di portarli in un posto specifico, spero che i miei mostri continueranno a portarmi sempre più lontano.
Solomostry graduated in Graphic design in 2012. He lives and works in Milan.
Solomostry is a multifaceted artist – ranging from screen-printing to muralism, from painting to installation – and it is precisely because of his eclectic essence that around 2007 – meeting some people of the milanese techno/clubbing scene – he moved away from graffiti and shaped new subjects, his subjects: the Monsters.
Solomostry’s research is characterized by a broken compositional line that continues to compose expressive geometric entities, revealing violent emotions. They are monstrous masks interpreters of impressions, trepidation, anxiety, excesses, present in everyday life. The marked outline builds and destroys at the same time. The hard lines tear the surface and mark spaces in which bright and flat colors play out, now typical of Solomostry.
Solomostry is represented in Italy by Lunetta 11 gallery, in Switzerland by Kolly gallery and in Paris by Cohle gallery.
He has collaborated with several brands both Italian and foreign, dealing with different media and his works are visible in different parts of the world.
How would you define your style?
I have always tried to express my feelings in a pure and appropriate way to the environment in which I put them.
The main element of exploration of my work is the line and its impact, in order to catch the attention of the viewer.
The line, in graffiti is what allows you to build a tag, that is your name, your identity.
The line that builds the tag is the skeleton of your graffiti, the skeleton of what you show the world, of what you put on the street.
For this reason the research must be based on impact, they must be able to see you from far away. In the streets there are a lot of distractions, but you have to stand out on all of them, or you can’t do it.
To succeed in all this I am always looking for new techniques and materials to experiment with.
What is customization for you?
La personalizzazione per me è il distinguersi dalla massa ed essere unico.
Questa ricerca di unicità si riflette sulle capsule che vado a creare in limited edition, customizzando qualunque tipo di media mi si presenta davanti.
Rapportarmi con materiali diversi è una continua sfida a creare qualcosa di nuovo ed unico.
How much do you love Milan and what does it have more than other cities?
Milan is my hometown, I’ve lived in other cities in the past, like Barcelona and Berlin, and I’ve been to many others for work, but Milan always calls me back. Milan is my friends and my affections and even more is my neighborhood, which I am very proud of and which I try to make it better with my small contribution.
What inspired you to customize the Jumpsuit?
We worked with 4 hands on this project, because in SOLOMOSTRY, there is a team behind the artist that believes and supports every project, from installations, to customizations up to the limited editions that we release.
So I would say that the main inspiration was belonging to a group, to be part of the same flag and we hope that who will wear this garment will feel part of what we do every day.
How did you make it?
It was made completely by hand in silk-screen printing.
Is there a technique that you particularly prefer among those you use in your work?
Solomostry production is divided into many areas, from painting on canvas, to installation with different materials, to screen printing for custom clothing, and lately ceramics.
In painting I prefer tools that allow me to have a stroke of impact, such as brushes, sprays, but my favorite is still the gardening sprayer pressure loaded with paint.
Screen printing is another technique that I love a lot, because it allows me to replicate in series the graphics on different materials such as fabric, paper, wood and everything I can print.
In the last two years I started to use ceramics again and at the moment it’s the technique that intrigues me the most, because I don’t have total control yet, so it always presents me with new problems, which once solved generate great satisfaction.
Tell us about the genesis of a Monster.
In the beginning the subjects of my works were Monsters, at least I called them that,
were entities that took possession of our inner self and encouraged us to do things we were afraid of.
They were powerful and unstoppable, impacting, pure feelings that represented the soul of those who feel young and rebellious.
They were all different, but all united towards a single goal, giving the viewer an unknown strength that made him feel invincible and ready to face what awaited him from his path.
Growing up, time puts us in front of a variety of situations, which lead us to deal with our feelings in a more contained and systematic way, and we build ourselves an armor made of various emotions, to be ready in every situation not to let people understand what are our real feelings.
Where do you dream of seeing your Monsters exposed one day?
I am satisfied with the path I have taken so far, I have already taken the monsters to different parts of the world so, instead of taking them somewhere, I hope that my monsters will continue to take me further and further.
APJP was born in 2018 from an idea of Alberto Panocchi and Joelle Pomioli, respectively buyer and fashion designer.
Everything started from an episode, when Alberto’s favorite pants were ruined after a laundry gone wrong. Joelle had the brilliant idea to make an artwork in bleach and the result was crazy. From there we put the basis of the APJP project, that is basically to give a new life to a garment that had already done its normal course of “first hand”.
Constantly experimenting with different techniques, APJP develops a series of washes and paints that immediately become very recognizable and appreciated. The soul of the project emerges immediately, which wants to give a second life to the garments re-using products and materials, in order to save new productions and consequently reduce
How would you define your style?
The style of our project is unique, inspired by old workwear garments.
We like to call it “project” and not Brand because we see it more as an art form, something really felt and never forced, without guidelines, trends or limits of any kind.
APJP’s first time was during Milano Design Week, in a courtyard in Brera, surrounded by the love of many friends and visitors.
It was a very intense live painting performance, intimate but at the same time very spontaneous and natural.
Since then collaborations with big brands such as Puma, Ac Milan and Converse have started.
What is personalization for you?
Creativity, making a normcore thing wild and crazy. Of course, always thinking of the person who will have to wear it.
How much do you love Milan and what does it have more than other cities?
We love it so much: know that this spring during the lockdown, I promised myself that I would never let it down. Milan is fantastic and offers a lot of opportunities to those who know how to catch them. Here you have the right compromise between a metropolis that moves fast and the more relaxed rhythms of neighborhood life.
What inspired you to customize the Jumpsuit?
As we said, our performances have neither a pre-established scheme nor a precise division of tasks. It can happen to work four hands on the same boss or in parallel on two different bosses. On this occasion each of us worked on a different suit with a different technique.
A: I was inspired by the old overalls, abandoned for years in the warehouse.
J: Mine is inspired by a type of camouflage print of military uniforms, lightened and stylized, reproduced with a technique that we have gradually perfected.
How did you make it?
We both tried to give it a lived-in allure and a contemporary style by applying painting.
What is it like to work in pairs?
You always have to maintain a balance between personal and professional sphere, this is the most difficult point. Anyway APJP wouldn’t be what it is today if we weren’t both: we are a union of ideas, styles and personalities.
How do you prepare for one of your performances?
Our secret is not to prepare ourselves. Always spontaneous and impulsive.
Is APJP just upcycling or can tomorrow be applied to the “new”?
The project was born to give a second life to an old garment and upcycling is a pillar of our identity, we would always like to pursue this concept.
Ignorance1 work revolves around the graphic styles that characterised the rave music scene during the 80s and 90s. Modern graphic elements are combined to classic patterns and styles so the pieces keep a vintage mood while getting a unique contemporary twist.
The word ‘ACID’ is quite recurrent in many of the pieces. This particular word gets inserted in different artistic contexts and explored based on the different meanings it can have in those contexts. Acid is a flavour, a music current, a journey, an emotional state. “Not sad but not happy, JUST ACID” is a quote that appears on some of the works and it’s just one example of using the concept to define a particular emotional context with a touch of irony.
How would you define your style?
Not sad, not happy, just acid.
What is customization for you?
Personalization for me, although it may seem trivial, is to make anything personal.
In my case I enjoy doing it in a fairly “freestyle” way, treating the object or the garment as if it was a blank piece of paper.
How much do you love Milan and what does it have more than other cities?
For years I had a constant relationship with Milan made of love and hate, but at the end of the day I can only be extremely grateful for the many opportunities it offers from a creative and professional point of view. One characteristic that only Milan has is that, after so many years, is still full of hidden places that you need to discovered.
What inspired you to customize the Jumpsuit?
To customize the Jumpsuit I just mixed my style with the raw and naked workwear flavour of the mechanical workshops.
How did you make it?
First of all I used spray and markers to customize the patches: some of them are totally customized on the back and some others on the front. Then I worked directly on the Jumpsuit fabric, spreading sentences and messages around the garment’s surface.
The logo rip-offs borrowed from the racing world are among your favorite subjects: Shell, Agip, Michelin and Pirelli to name a few. Do you have a passion for the automotive universe or are you simply fascinated by the graphic part of those brands?
The old workshops have always been a great inspiration for me.
With my father, a great car enthusiast, I visited a lot of them since I was a child and I was struck by all that microcosm of vintage plates, calendars and merchandising of automotive brands.
Last year, during one of my exhibitions, I had the chance to make one of my rip-offs on a real steel plate.
Even today I am still fascinated by the graphics of this sector and it seems incredible the way they are so suitable to be stretched and reworked.
Tell us how one of these rip-offs was born
The first rip off in the motor world was Michelin’s Bibendum, which I added a second sad head next to his classic smiling one. It was an experiment like many others, but it was immediately very appreciated. From there I started using my claim “not sad not happy just acid”.
The rest of the rip-offs instead are usually born looking at the “official” reference, trying to understand how my graphic codes and concepts that I use can be fitted, often everything happens in a very spontaneous and natural way.
I am Pietro, but my friends call me SANGI, like the neighborhood in Milan where I was born and raised. A meeting place with friends and a constant source of inspiration for my aesthetic research, which starts from daily functionality.
The sneakers and the focus on innovation in footwear design, open the doors to a wider world, a fashion industry that is constantly evolving and adapting to new needs.
How would you define your style?
Aesthetics and functionality. Design tells through shapes, proportions, materials and colors the human tendency to find practical and effective solutions.
What is customization for you?
The opportunity to transform an object according to your vision and taste. Customization is about being able to give an object, whatever it is, an added value that fully represents your style. Customizing does not mean to distort, but to leave a mark, your mark.
How much do you love Milan and what does it have more than other cities?
I am in love with my city! Starting from the contrast of past and future that you see in the alternation of historic buildings and modern skyscrapers, which form a present full of realities and people who make creativity the strongest point of a city that never stops.
What inspired you for the customization of the Jumpsuit?
The Jumpsuit was born as workwear and then became a fashionable garment to wear on any occasion. Taking it back to its origins, I worked to make it the ideal garment for the designer of 2020. Tradition and innovation coexist to enhance manual practices and support them with technology. We can all be designers with a pencil or a click.
How did you make it?
I made the Jumpsuit in my garage, which I set up as a workshop. There I have the sewing machine and all the tools to work on my projects. In recent years I have accumulated several components to make shoes and clothing. The restrictions of the last period and lack of further resources, made me use fabrics and materials that I already had, giving them a new life.
We know that sneakers are your forte. When was this passion born?
My passion for sneakers was born when I was in middle school. I felt in love with a Jordan, of course! From there I went deeper and deeper, looking for the most iconic, particular and revolutionary models.
With my Instagram page I wanted to share my POV on this world: by showing my research through a digital archive I had the opportunity to interface with different insiders.
Which one is your favourite among those you already have and the one you would like to have one day?
My absolute favorite sneaker is the Reebok – Instapump Fury, which contains everything I look for in a shoe. A model that after more than 30 years is still a real innovative shape. I own several of them, but the one I’m most proud of is the collaboration with Pyer Moss, Experiment 4 Fury Trail, crazy. One shoe in particular that impressed me and that I would like to get my hands on is the Porter x Takashi Murakami – BS 06R T.Z.
What was it like working on such a different garment like the Jumpsuit?
I have always been interested, passionate, and I study fashion design. I happen to work on both footwear and clothing projects! Starting from the shoes, my eyes go up and are interested in everything we wear.
ABOUT
