During the inaugural Frieze Los Angeles, 1stdibs and THE NEW presented a multisensory exhibition produced by Italian multimedia artist Mattia Biagi. The installation features his original art alongside furniture, lighting, and objects that evoke the desire to comb the past and present. Mattia Biagi's Metropolitan Sets premiered at The Badd House, a new exhibition space located in the legendary Spago restaurant in West Hollywood, before moving to THE NEW next door to the Twentieth gallery.
This series of sculptural works expresses Italian born, LA based artist Mattia Biagi’s personal explorations of life and death, nature and civilization, preservation and transformation. The images used to build the bodies of these pieces emerge from a lifetime of photographic clippings from magazines, pornography, art history, and personal photos. This anthology of memories, visions and experiences allows Biagi to draw directly from his subconscious to create these unique three-dimensional statuary collages.
The use of construction site materials within the exhibition space offers a modern, urban contrast to the historical sculpture motifs. Biagi references Federico Fellini’s film Roma in the installation, developing the concept through the clever usage of light and space to create a theatrical and immersive experience.