medina zabo (b.arezzo,it, based in london and tuscany) is a transdiciplinary sculptor whose investigation reflects the fabric of domestication/colonization in social learning, across a process-based practice and a multifaceted  array of mediums and methods from pop art, land art and renaissance painting. central to their approach are dynamics of metamorphosis as a sociological metaphor of adaptation in human and natural realms mutually, under the lenses of diverse cultural and gender-related patterns. much of zabo’s work stems from a pivotal experience of a six months cohabitation with a honeybee colony swarmed indoors and a mixed background early embarked on an investigative journalism career.

zabo obtained a MA in communication studies from università degli studi di perugia, a PGCert in new media at IED istituto europeo di design, then went to earn a BA in painting at the fine arts academy pietro vannucci of perugia (awarded the cheng ming grant), and at the fine arts academy of rome (2015-2019).  currently pursuing a MFA in arts and humanities at the royal college of art (2023/24)

how do our cyborg-like habits reinvent the nature along its metamorphosis process? 

the whole question dawns in my practice from a mixed background and a pivotal experience of a six months cohabitation in 2013 with a colony of honeybees swarmed indoors. both factors have led me into studying pollinators’ social learning in comparison to human behavior while colonizing and ruling habitats, in the term of a mutual influence speculated across socio-biology, anthropology and visual arts altogether.

my viewpoint delves into expressions of social dissonances to foreground throughout a multifaceted language that explores conceptions and materials culturally informed, by merging the endless process of life and death in natural patterns and the serial character of man-made features into ambivalent aesthetics.

as the process of metamorphosis traces adaptation, social frameworks run within change of status. 

what boosts the working method overall is a labor-intensive manipulation of  special organic matter sourced from apiculture as a result of the cooperation between diverse organism and the human intervention along seasons, before and after  having upcycled and cured it up to get the consistency of man-made building materials: its ability to undergo metamorphosis and host dwellers makes artworks evolve autonomously.

like dynamics of social conflicts and inter group-rivalry, the work manifests itself in a dual aesthetic . 

despite our candy-coloured simulacrum of nature, the outcomes surpass unpredictably the original design, in a full circle of cooperation between human ends and other organisms’ evolution, including artificial applications.  working methods are drawn on renaissance workshops, land art conception and pop art as well, across various sculpting/painting techniques that handle materials akin to our domestic environments such as porcelain, steel, iron, fabrics, building products. 

 

(2023) prompt for credentials, solo show, VO curations tower hill, london
(2022) contemporary abstract, curated by bob swearengin, hilliard gallery, kansas city US
(2022) esercizio di decenza VOL 1+2+3 * solo show, curated studio A’87, critical texts valeria de siero, sponsored spoleto council, chiesa museo madonna del pozzo IT 
(2022) nuovi reperti, brooks-laplante-zabo, MuST museo delle scienze e della terra del comune di spoleto IT
(2022) genetica della formagroup show, curated davide silvioli, palazzo collicola arti visive, spoleto (catalogue)
(2022) fuori fuoco_ angrisani, tancredi, tosti, zabo curated by davide silvioli, studio attilio quintili, perugia (catalogue)
(2021) il paesaggio futuro_rappresentazione/immaginazione, castelnuovo fotografia, co_curated michela becchis, rome (catalogue)
(2021) oltre cenere_ mabos museo d’arte del bosco della sila_ (sense-residencies) catanzaro (catalogue)
(2021) language gaps, curated joanna glinkowska, galerie kub, leipzig DE
(2021) play deep play, contextual experiment around pilotenkueche international art program, curated joanna glinkowska, on going;
(2021) reimagining hope_ MOP month of photography denver, curated by samantha johnston + CPAC colorado photographic arts center, daniel &fisher clock tower,denver US
(2020) IV b-video art festival, curated by natalia monakhova and andrey slaschilin, khodynka gallery, moscow RU
(2020) #tempofermo, group show part 1 curated by christian ciampoli, galleria 16 civico, pescara IT
(2019) paratissima art in the city, curated simonetta pavanello, art week turin 
(2019) natura naturans, curated valeria guglielmi, sponsored by cortemilia councilchiesa conventuale di san francesco, cuneo 
(2019) diversioni, curated by davide silvioli, centro della documentazione e ricerca artistica luigi di sarro, rome
(2019) materia prima, curated by michela becchis, curva pura gallery + boccanera gallery, castello aliprandini laifenthurn, trento IT (catalogue) 
(2019) arte laguna prize, arsenale of venice  (catalogue)
(2018) f-u-t-u-r-a 3018 experimental arts festival curated by subsculture, sponsored rete dei festival di treviso, porta santi quaranta, treviso
(2018) dentro e fuori, group show, sponsored perugia council + accademia di belle arti pietro vannucci, perugia IT
(2018) in buono stato* solo show, curva pura gallery, rome
(2018) brana_altri mondi, omaggio a brajo fuso curated by andrea baffoni, 
fuseum contemporary art center, perugia (catalogue)
(2017) raw-rome art week, group show, medina roma art gallery
(2017) mimmo paladino and the young artistscurated museo tattile omero+tactus contemporary art center, sponsored ministero dei beni culturali e ministero dell’istruzione, mole vanvitelliana, ancona (catalogue)
(2016) opera pr1ma, various curators, sponsored by sistema museo, regione umbria + accademia di belle arti di perugia, *spello pinacotheque (catalogue);
(2016) anopticon_panopticon, international festival segnali, sponsored by institutional partners+ accademia di belle arti pietro vannucci, trebisonda contemporary art center perugia IT
 
 

artrepreneur NY, curators’selection: phantasmagoria, award winner 2020; people’s choice award 2022, shortlisted; orange book 2022, top artrepreneur’s 100 artists

sense_residencies, mabos, museo d’arte del bosco della sila, art commission, catanzaro IT 09*21

pilotenkueche international program, artist in residence, leipzig DE quarter II *21  

award-winning o.r.a prize 2018 for artistic research selected by curva pura+roots

13th international arte laguna prize, short-listed and finalist land art section

premio nazionale antonio ranocchia (honorable mention)museo dinamico del laterizio, marsciano IT

acting performer__andreco _”parata della fine – the end of anthropocene era”, contemporary art center luigi pecci, prato, february *17 __ eliza soroga _re-enactment of “women in agony”, arsenale of venice, march *17 __ aram bartholl _wannacry (weeping angels), 57th venice biennale, hyper pavilion, curated philippe riss-schmidt, produced by fabulous inc. may-september *17

artist residencies at beverly pepper’s studio sponsored by fondazione progetti beverly pepper _ (january 2017) (november 2018); opera pr1ma off/beverly featuring accademia di belle arti pietro vannucci; beverly pepper tra todi e il mondo curated by massimo mattioli, sponsored by beverly pepper foundation

creative writing&drawing lecturer, jobel group, rome, autumn *18 

private collections_ (rotterdam, NL)(florence, IT)(rome, IT)

public collections_ (procura della repubblica, palazzo martorelli orsini, spoleto, IT_curated accademia di belle arti di perugia) (mabos, museo d’arte del bosco della sila, catanzaro, IT)

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