'Lo Spavento Vinse Il Giorno' by Alessandro Di Pietro at Mega, Milan

Returning home late after a long night stand or waking up at dawn to begin the day, despite their very different starting points, nevertheless have something in common. In both cases, one passes through a strange temporal ridge where everyone is led to come to terms with oneself, regardless of whether it is after a night of revelry or facing a new day. It is within this solitude shrouded in a gloomy light, made possible for a few minutes only, that the deepest and most intimate thoughts come to surface. These are moments in which emotions that we would like to dismiss become present and the fears of each find the needful space to be welcomed. 

Our appearance is transitory and mutable, whether shaped by prolonged vices or through the pressure of the pillow on one’ s face. We appear monstrous to ourselves, a veiled shame leads us to shift our gaze away from reflective surfaces in the attempt of avoiding any kind of fixity on that suspended ridge.

Becoming aware of one’s own monstrosity, abandoning the modesty with which we try to hide it from the glance of others, is as frightening as it is the most important and difficult of daily practices.

Out of this suspended dimension - between night and day, between ordinary images and other horrific ones - takes shape Lo Spavento Vinse Il Giorno, solo exhibition by Alessandro di Pietro at MEGA. The viewer is invited to investigate the portraits on display, which, unlike any other tradition, have lost all frontality. The Vampirelli never relate to the observer as they are understood by a completely intimate reflection. They are confronting themselves by revealing vulnerable portions such as the neck and indirectly inviting the viewer to do the same.

The same attitude of questioning oneself that lies at the heart of MEGA’s practice and which Alessandro di Pietro has embraced by distancing himself from his more established forms of expression. His eclectic practice is defined through environmental installations, objects and projects involving speculative narration, moving images and digital processing, but in the framework of Lo Spavento Vinse Il Giorno, Alessandro di Pietro confronted himself with new linguistic horizons; drawing and representation.

— Davide Giannella