Julian Giacomelli

About

Julian Giacomelli, born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 2002, expresses his practice through multi-disciplinary outputs, such as but not limited to: sculpture, painting, cartoonism, digital media, and moving image. A part of the artist’s creation process consists of the choice of medium that best fits the conceptual and aesthetic project outcome. The artist’s output aims to invoke critical thinking and for the viewer to inform themselves of the contexts, complexity, and turbulence of our present.

The artist’s practice is interconnected with contemporary contexts such as responses to political events or expression of the artist’s political opinions, such as in the Trump series along with “Project Mr: President”. A series of A1-sized semi-editorialized political cartoons depicting Donald Trump with the use of images taken from media outlets.

The artist also actively researches decolonized material, challenging his views and contexts he was brought up in. Being a dual national from two adjacent countries, Italy and Slovenia, which have been divided in conflict, ideology, ethnicity, language, and culture reminds the artist of the importance of history and intersectionality to learn from lessons of the past and allow them to inform the artist’s projects.

By being aware of contemporary political contexts, lessons learned from history and researching decolonized material, the artist is able to create complex political narratives of a contemporary nature by using present-day subjects viewed through a subjective political and decolonized lense. “Unity and Resistance” is such a project, as it personifies the political left through the clenched fist of Brazilian President Lula. The moving image work creates a break, separating the left from its capitalist counterpart, neo-liberalism.