Alessandro Fogo

In the paintings of Alessandro Fogo (Thiene, 1992), the sacred is not a lofty and unattainable realm, but an atmosphere that permeates everyday spaces. After earning his bachelor’s degree from the IUAV in Venice and a master’s degree in Painting from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, the artist—now based in San Benedetto del Tronto—has developed an unusual and contemporary figurative style, in which deities, Madonnas, and sphinxes appear in sketches of domestic settings, infusing each scene with the power of a revelation, of a miracle about to unfold.

In the imaginary altar on display in the Roman exhibition *Domani qui oggi* (Tomorrow Here Today), illuminated by ultramarine hues, Fogo even crafts a new myth about the genesis of God, in which a great and enigmatic stork carries the divine element to the heights of the heavens, perishing in the process. The animal’s sacrifice is then enshrined in the ceramic sarcophagus, thus evoking the faith in the invisible that underlies every religious act, as well as every work of art.

Text by Giulia Oglialoro