Ivan De Menis
lives and works in Treviso, Italy
Ivan De Menis was born in Treviso in 1973 and studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice. Ivan De Menis covers the canvas generously with paint, works in thick layers and allows the highly pigmented acrylic paint to run down the sides.
In his series of works, he creates small-format, rectangular or square pictorial objects that develop an intense colour and luminosity and give an idea of the artist's working process, as the various layers are exposed at the sides.
The appeal of the works lies in the contrast between the almost silky smooth surface and the rough side surfaces marked with streaks and drips of colour as well as flaking layers. His works can be found in numerous private and public collections in Germany and abroad.
‘My works are closely linked to the passing of time. Tessere, Rette, Tondi, Compressione - each of these groups of works represents a step towards my personal alphabet.’ Ivan De Menis
‘The steps are part of a journey through the artist's formal language, tracing the fundamental stages of his artistic journey: from the series of small works, ‘Tessere’ (quadrangles), to the latest works from the ‘Rette’ (lines) series. The works owe their vibrancy to the successively applied colours, tone on tone, and the overlapping glazes, which are familiar from the tonalism of the Veneto and thus testify to the artist's strong connection with his homeland. He encloses his pictures in ‘cages’ made of Plexiglas and polystyrene and pours layer after layer of synthetic resin over them, gradually increasing their volume; he then opens the moulds and ‘frees’ the picture in the process of hardening. This process is repeated countless times, so that with each layer the progression of time is overcome. The balance achieved between time, colour and volume is evident in the contrast between the luminous, smooth surface of the image and its roughly structured sides.’
Text by Jure Mikuž, translation by Karl Vouk
Biography
| 1973 | born in Treviso, Italy |
| 1997 |
Studied in the Graphic Arts section of the “Bruno Munari” State College of Art
In Vittorio Veneto and attained a diploma in Painting from the Venice Accademy
of Fine Arts in 1997
|
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
| 2025 | Marcorossi artecontemporanea, Milan, Pietrasanta, Torino and Verona (S) Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (S) |
| 2024 | XF Proyectos, Madrid (S) ArToxin Galerie, Munich (G) Galerie Maximilian Hutz, Hard, Austria (G) |
| 2023 | Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (G) Marcorossi artecontemporanea, Milan, Pietrasanta, Torino and Verona (S) Barcelona, Galeria Xavier Fiol, Palma de Mallorca (S) |
| 2022 | Silenzi, & Gallery, Edinburgh (S) Magnifique, Fondazione Uomo Fondazione d’Inverno, Milan (S) Layer by Layer, MLXF untitled, Andorra (S) Summer Show, Piermarq Gallery, Sidney (G) Make a Wish, MLXF untitled, Andorra (G) Homenaje, collection ACB Barbara De Rueda, Santander (G) |
| 2021 | Galerie Biesenbach, Köln (G) Galerie Xavier Fiol, Palma De Mallorca (G) ArToxin Galerie, Munich (S) XF proyectos, Madrid (G) Fondazione Uomo Fondazione d'Inverno, Milan (S) Poimena Gallery, Australia (G) |
| 2020 | And Gallery, Edinburgh (G) Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (G) Poimena Gallery, Launceston, Australia (G) Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (G) |
| 2019 |
Galerie Maximilian Hutz, Hard, Austria (S)
Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (G) Galerie Boeckercontemporary, Heidelberg (G) Circolo Eleutheros, Albissola Marina, Italy (G) Colossi arte contemporanea, Brescia, Italy (G) Museum St. Wendel (G) Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg (G) Nuova Galleria Morone, Milan (G) LE6b, Saint Denis (G) Voloshyn Gallery, Kiev (G)
Freud Monk Gallery, online (G) |
| 2018 |
Sharevolution, Genoa (S)
Tempi A- Strat(T)i, 56 Figino Serenza, Italy (S) Galerie RX, Ivry sur Seine (S) Arte Fiera Bologna, Morotti Arte Contemporanea, Bologna (S) KNO Bulgakov Museum, Kiev (G) Project B, Milan (G) Galerie Boeckercontemporary, Heidelberg (G) |
| 2017 | Galleria Sharevolution Arte Contemporanea, Geneva (S) Artoxin Gallery, Munich (G) Kro Art Contemporary, Vienna (G) palazzo Botti/palazzo Colleoni Bologna (G) "MiArt” Project B, Milan (G) |
| 2016 | Morotti Arte Contemporanea, Varese, Italy (S) I.A.C. Institut d'art contemporain, Lyon (G) Künstlerhaus, Klagenfurt (S) LABS gallery, Bologna (G) Project B, Milan (G) |
| 2015 |
Project B, Milan (S)
Galerie RX, Ivry sur Seine (S) Arte Fiera Bologna, Morotti Arte Contemporanea, Bologna (S) |
| 2014 |
Galerie Hebert, Paris (S)
Studio Vanna Casati, Bergamo (S)
Casa Cima - Conegliano (S) Kro Art Contemporary, Vienna (G) Morotti Arte Contemporanea, Verona (G) Morotti Arte Contemporanea, Varese (G) |
| 2013 |
Galerie Bartoli, Marsiglia (S)
San Gregorio Art Gallery, Venice (S)
Rocca San Giorgio, Orzinuovi Brescia (G)
|
| 2012 |
Galerie Hebert, Paris (S)
Monte Paschi Banque, Agence Saint-Germain, Paris (S) Banca Monte Paschi, Agence Louise, Brussels (S) Sala Manzù, Bergamo (G) |
| 2011 |
San Gregorio Art Gallery, Venice (S)
|
| 2010 |
Art Way Gallery, Treviso (S)
Studio Bazzini Arte Contemporanea, Milan (G) |
| 2009 | Galleria d’arte 911, La Spezia (G) |
| 2008 |
Atelier 34_58, Treviso (S)
Galleria ZeroUno, Barletta, Bari (G) Casa du Brasil, Madrid (G) Galleria civica di Palazzo Borgatta Rocca Grimalda, Alessandria (G) Espace Miromesnil, Paris (G) |
Selected Public Collections
- IAC Institut d’art contemporain Villeurbanne/Rhône-Alpes
- BAG Bocconi Art Gallery, Milano
- Art Center Hugo Voeten, Herentals, Belgien
- Fondazione Uomo – Fondazione d’Inverno, Milano
- Fondazione Biscuzzi Rimbaud, Lecce, Italien
- KNO Mikhaeil Bulgakov Museum, KIEV
- Museum St. Wendel
Works (click images to enlarge)
