As we walked through the railway leading to his studio, I spotted some of Solomostry’s rather ancient monsters on the walls, a testament to his beginnings in the graffiti movement. The double door to his studio opened up to a large and bright space. I was not only greeted by his dog Cuma, but also by the staring eyes of his monster.
Solomostry’s path began with a linear and symmetrical net of lines depicting his monster and visual identity, which later expanded into different mediums such as canvas, paper, wood, metal, glass, ceramic, and textile. He also shared with us his passion for collecting vases, especially from the 1970s.
In 2022, Solomostry had a breakthrough and broke free from the constraints of his closed net of lines, opening up his compositions. He chose to break free from the attachment to the contour line and opened up the lines on his paintings, leaving them without contours or constrictions. This liberation is manifested on an aesthetic and visual level in his artworks, which opened up a new layer for experiencing Solomostry’s art.
As we delved deeper into Solomostry’s reflection on his own oeuvre and how to develop it further, he expressed feeling overwhelmed by his artistic style towards the end of 2022, with methods and artistic processes that felt too habitual. It felt like he orchestrated a factory, which favored quantity over ingenuity and uniqueness.
„Milàn l’è un gran Milàn“
Solomostry, 2023.
An artist in development, in artistic research, confronting the unknown – quo vadis?
Currently research and education is very important to the artist. He is in a sensitive and vulnerable period, and his openness about it was appreciated. Solomostry is inspired by various artists like Getulio Alviani, Lucio Fontana, and Mirò, especially for ceramics. He shared his plans to combine his style with an aesthetic and function that exceeds his current identity, lines, and monsters, incorporating conceptual thinking to interlace functionality and flexibility of an art object.
During the studio visit, Solomostry surprised us by unveiling his latest and unpublished works: enormous military tents and canvases, each measuring at least 2 x 2 meters, adorned with a mesmerizing mix of vivid colors, bold lines, and abstract and minimalist shapes in black and white. As we watched him unroll the pieces, we couldn’t help but feel: „He is up to something…“. Everyone in the room quickly pulled out their phones to capture the yet-unpublished developments before our eyes.
Solomostry is about to conquer new horizons and confront the art world with his approaches while not forgetting his roots, a rural place out of darkness where his artistic identity was born. The Kolly Gallery presents his artworks on the verge of change, some of which will survive into the future artistic DNA, while others will remain unique and limited in their period.
Solomostry continues to breathe and live the artistic DNA and cultural assets and heritage of Milano since the Middle Ages, contributing to its contemporary and vibrant art scene.
Tania Di Brita
Artworks
Studio Visit
Av. de Beauregard 1
1700 Fribourg
Switzerland
Only on appointment
T +41 79 301 11 37