The Evil Empire

LMAKprojects and Elga Wimmer PCC are proud to present their first collaborative exhibition: The Evil Empire by Federico Solmi in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to New York. After two years of diligent and continues work Federico Solmi has finished this ambitious hand-colored video-animation.

The Evil Empire takes place in the heart of Vatican City, in the year 2046. Surrounded by the glorious frescoes and wealth of his St. Peter Basilica apartment, a fictional Pope is portrayed as a young man struggling with his porn addiction, similarly to all ordinary men who cannot avoid the temptation of our contemporary society.

Solmi uses bright colors and a satirical aesthetic to portray a dystopia of our current civilization. He uses images culled from the video game industry, pop culture, and the internet and combined this imagery with historical events. In his work you will find a mixture of references to Old Masters and video games, such as the computer game Doom 3, which inspired a few scenarios.

The result is a humorous, absurd, and critical satire about our present society. Solmi analyses the paradoxical situation that modifies our approach and our attitude toward everyday life. The neurotic urban landscape, the frenetic life in the big city and the colossal contradiction of contemporary society, are the key themes in his work.

Federico Solmi was born in Bologna, Italy in April 1973 and currently lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited in different venues around the world including the Drawing Center, NY; Victoria Memorial Museum of Calcutta, India; Contemporary Art Museum of Naples, Italy; and Contemporary Art Center of Rouboix, France.

In addition, his animations have been screened in several film and video festivals. His work has been reviewed in publications such as Flash Art Magazine, Tema Celeste, Art Actuelle, Contemporary Magazine, ArtNet.com, Il Giornale, Marie Claire, Animal Magazine, El Mundo, Exibart on Paper, JamesWagner.com, Daily News, El Pais, Il Mattino and La Republica, Rome.

A full color catalog of the exhibition, printed by Evolutha, is available.

The Evil Empire will travel to ADN Galeria, Barcelona, Spain, and Galerie Pascal Vanhoecke, Paris, France. Federico Solmi will also have a special project at Pulse, New York at booth C-IV, near the Pulse Play section (March 27 – 30).

The Evil Empire was made in collaboration with Russell Lowe, a 3D artist based in Australia, who is a professor at the South Wales Univerisity of Sydney, Australia.

Thanks to the generous support of the Italian Cultural Institute, New York.