Mario Airò 1961–

Mario Airò was born in Pavia in 1961 and attended the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied with Luciano Fabro. In 1989, along with other young artists of Milan, he became involved with an artist-run space on Via Lazzaro Palazzi and with Tiracorrendo magazine, which hosted some lively debates. As a result, Airò is considered one of the most important artists of his generation in Italy, and is thought to be a very important bridge between the younger generation of Italian artists and the one that came before.

Airò’s work derives from what he defines as “wandering”. It is the experience of one who moves and speaks through the things he encounters by avoiding any kind of intellectual or formal closure. His installations spring from a wide range of cultural references, including literature, cinema, art history, and everyday objects. Every work by Mario Airò has a seductive effect that transforms the exhibition area into an absorbing and visionary mental space, ushering the spectator into a heavily emotional framework.

Airò’s recent solo exhibitions have taken place at Tucci Russo Studio per l’Arte Contemporanea in Turin (2014) and Vistamare Benedetta Spalletti in Pescara (2011). His work has also recently been featured in group shows like Syntony of Sound and Images, Zerynthia Associazione per l’Arte Contemporanea, Rome (2014); Projections, MAXXI, Rome (2012); 16 Artists for TVS, Arte Fiera Art First, Bologna (2011); and Terre Vulnerabili: True Solutions Come From the Bottom Up, Hangar Bicocca Art Space, Milan (2010).