'Steady sideslip', first exposition in Italy for the French young artist Nicolas Momein at Rivoli2 Foundation

First exposition in Italy for the French young artist, Nicolas Momein. The exhibition, cureted by Stefano Castelli, put together the latest operas which well represent his unusual approach to the sculpture. Replacing the plastic style, even compared with its most recently evolution, Momein overtake the dichotomy between sculpture and installation, exploring the relationship between the artwork and the exposition area, connecting the artwork with the social situation of which it come from. A lot of his creations originate from a tour in atelier and small factories of his land. The direct relationship with the artisans drive the artist to follow the way of unusual art’s technique and material.
His sculptures are abstraction of recognizable forms and objects. Usual materials and objects (textiles, metals, foods, furnitures, tools) are transformed or combined with each other. In this way they lost their functionality and tend to the pure form, without totally delete their origin.
The symbolic element of the Momein's sculpture is very marked but it never depreciate in the literal or in the narration: in some operas we can observe kind of allusion to the social life’s ambients, to the architecture and interior design form, often constrictive and standardize. The design is frequently evocate, but often in a people oriented dimension, distant from the coldness and standard’s risk and revitalized by the artisanality.
Among his exposed operas the Sculptures par exemple well represent the proliferation of forms that characterize the artist. In these operas, the assembly of different objects and materials, very rich in color contrast, could remember furniture or ornaments whose function is undefined, like after a mix up. The sculpture of the series Semences aux wasabi play with the contrast between precariousness and stability: the nails around the surface are held in that position by magnets hided inside the sculpture. The disseminated color on the surface, that recall to the painting, is realized by edible materials.
The artist explain: “My sculptures feed themselves on different materials. My interest is oriented toward the practices of artisans, laborers or farmers. These kind of situations lead me to develop an economy of collaborative work, based on processes and materials typical of the jobs with less visibility and consideration. Taking out of the contest these materials and these gestures, I try to put in place a rivalry between object's functional size and sculptured value, without deciding which of the two is prevailing”.

Nicolas Momein (Saint-Étienne FR 1980) lives and works in Saint-Étienne and Paris. He took the degree in Saint-Ètienne at the Ècole Supérieure d'Art et de Design and a master in Geneve at the Haute Ecole d'Art et de Design. His curriculum vitae includes a lot of exhibitions in French and Swiss galleries and institutions. In 2013 he was selected for the Rendez-Vous exhibit, at the Lac of Villeurbanne. In 2015, his solo exhibition at the galerie Tator in Lion has been included in the collateral program of the Biennial of Lion; always in 2015, he had a solo exhibition at the Èglises de Chelles. Among the institutions that exposed his operas we can find the Centre d'Art Contemporain de Genève, Can di Neuchâtel, La Galerie-Centre d'Art Contemporain de Noisy-le-Sec and the Magasin de Grenoble. He taked part in a lot of artist residencies, the last one in Paris at the Cité des Arts. He received several rewards, among which in 2015 the Prix des Amis Jeune Création/Galeries Nomades.

Rivoli2 Foundation
The Foundation Rivolidue born in 2013 with the aim of promoting, documenting and testing as part of the cultural, the path of artists and curators , providing a space to publicize projects and research work and at the same time offering ability to enter into relations with the various representatives of the world of art and the public .Rivolidue is located in the heart of Brera in Milan, next to the Piccolo Teatro Strehler .The space is located in a typical palace of Milan, overlooking a courtyard with a glass roof that characterizes it: 140 square meters on four levels , three of which are dedicated to host the exhibition projects.
www.rivolidue.org

Steady sideslip
Milan, Rivoli2 - via Rivoli 2 (MM Lanza)
27 november 2015 – 9 January 2016

Opening times: Tuesday to friday 4pm-7.00pm; Saturday 3pm-7.30pm
All other days the foundation is open by appointment.

Free entrance