"Gyangu" by Leo Guglielmi

The show will be on view from March 10 by appointment only in an extra special location at Via Ancona 2, Milan, Italy.

Gyangu is a powerful and stimulating exhibition that challenges our preconceptions about gender in society.  Starting from the macho environment of criminal organizations, Guglielmi invites us through his beautiful work to explore the complexities and contradictions of the world and its many layers. Our preconceptions about what it means to be involved in criminal activities and to be tough are overturned by the work's elegant, romantic, and fashionable protagonists. Gyangu, which literally means Gangster in Japanese, has a dense storyline also suggested by the titles of the works, all of which were created between 2022 and 2023, and portrays a wide range of characters presented through stills of their everyday life. These are not the typical tough and threatening Mafiosi. Instead, they are portrayed in a unique and unconventional way that challenges traditional representations of the Yakuza. Guglielmi's gangsters are edgy and gritty, but also stylish and fashionable. They are not afraid to mix and match different styles and often incorporate modern and contemporary elements into their look, as in the case of "A samurai never misses on a lil’ razzle-dazzle, ain’t nothing sweet about this one, besides his sweet Levi jeans. (( Most belligerent in the Yakuza ))", where the main character is showing their tattoo and y2k fashion statements.

Leonardo Guglielmi (b.1996, Italy) was born and raised in the outskirts of Venice, Italy, where he underwent classical art education. Based now in Guangzhou, China, Leonardo’s work focuses primarily on the refusal of academic art rules. He expresses this by overly simplifying proportion, using less than canonical subjects, and exploring subcultures. Leonardo also brings modern and contemporary aspects of life into his work such as the contemporary depiction of humanities, fashion Items, and tattoos in an attempt to create a conversation between tradition and present realities that continue to evolve within society. His latest shows were: Hometown session / Paris, group show, EDJI gallery, 2022 , THE NEW ARTIST, group show, Boomer gallery, 2022