Free From Connotation
Ernesto Romano is an Italian artist living and working in London. He uses his own x-rays transformed with bold colours and often embellished with gold leaf, glitter, spray paint or Swarovski crystals. All his work is colourful and glossy, shiny.
He often uses symbols like crowns (including the crown of thorns-religious symbols) and jewels that he superimposes onto the x-rays, and then hand embellish them adding sparkle. Those symbols tend to identify a certain status or social position. On the other hand, the x-rays instead are free from any social connotation, any prejudice or stereotype and often free from gender and ambiguity and eventually the most judgemental free-angle from which a person can be looked at.
X-Ray Art
These X-rayed self-portraits convey a message of equality and universal values, of inclusion and diversity. Ernesto has exhibited nationally in the UK and internationally and his work is collected worldwide.
‘My first series was called Alter Ego and I tried to combine shapes and patterns of the green world with human anatomy. X-rays have, therefore, always played a dominant role in my artwork. I like them because they are the most non-judgemental angle from which to look at a person: they are free from any social connotations, if you are not a medical expert, they are also free from gender, so really, they are free from any stereotypes associated with race, gender, religion, society etc. They are humanity at the very essence. The core of my work is about being human, being free from any prejudgement or stereotypes that can appear beyond the interior.’
Exhibitions and press
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Royal October, Pepita Coffee and The Stay Club, London
2016 Hortus Anatomicus, Official Made in Italy Pop Up Store, Covent Garden, London
2009 In Floressence, 4Art Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
2009 Visioni Meristematiche, Art Way Gallery, Treviso, Italy
2009 Programma, Venice, Italy
2008 Imagina Cafe’, Venice, Italy
2008 Cafe’ au Livre, Padova, Italy
Two Men Shows
2021 Ireneo Frizzarin & Ernesto Romano selected works, Hastens Showroom 115 Fulham Road (London), Artists in residence
2021 Occhi E Fiori, with Ireneo Frizzarin, Chrom Gallery, London
Residencies
2019 Maker in Residence at the Bankside Hotel, London with Contemporary Collective
Group Exhibitions and Fairs
2021 The Other Art Fair, London King’s Cross
2021 Art in the Age of Now, curated by Ben Moore, Fulham Town Hall, London
2020 The Infinity Rooms Exhibition,London, Degree Art
2019 Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London, with Degree Art
2019 Affordable Art Fair New York, USA, with Degree Art
2019 Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, London, with Degree Art
2019 Henley Festival, UK, with Degree Art
2019 Art Below Hyde Park, London, Curated by Ben Moore
2018 Winter Show, London, Curated by Degree Art and Trinity Art Gallery
2018 Winter Exhibition, London, Curated by Focus LDN
2018 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, with Degree Art
2018 Henley Festival, Henley on Thames, Degree Art/Contemporary Collective
2018 Summer Exhibition,London, Degree Art and Trinity Art Gallery
2018 Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, London, with Degree Art
2018 Flux Exhibition, curated by Lisa Gray
2018 Talented Art Fair, London
2018 ShocK London,London, curated by Arte Mea Advisory
2017 Winter Exhibition, London, curated by Tom Cox
2017 The Benbai Expo,curated by Sascha Bailey, Quite Useless Art, London
2017 FLUX Exhibition, curated by Lisa Gray, London
2017 Art Below Summer Show, Curated by Art Below, London
2017 The Elephant in The Room, curated by Laverne Hunt, London
2017 Contemporaries, curates by Thomas Cox (Focus LDN),London
2017 Wimbledon Art Studios May Open Show, London
2017 Spring Collection, curated by Thomas Cox (Focus LDN), London
2016 Winter Show, curated by Thomas Cox (Focus LDN), London
2016 Flux Exhibition, curated by Lisa Gray, London
2016 Tribe16 Curated by Chrom Art, London
2016 Art Below Summer Show, Curated by Ben Moore, London
2016 Queen Themed, curated by Ben Moore, Art Below, London
2016 Wimbledon Art Studios Open Show, London
2016 The Other Art Fair, London, Presented by Art Below
2016 IART, Jeddah Art Week, The Gallery Art Space, Jeddah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
2015 Wimbledon Art Studios Open Show
2015 The Fall of the Rebel Angels,Group Exhibition during Venice Biennale, curated by Vanya Balogh, London
2015 Chinese Open: Group Exhibition, London
2013 INVERSE-EVOKE: Art and Text, London, UK
2013 TITLE ART PRIZE – Manchester, UK
2013 BIG DEAL no 5, London, UK
2013 Performance at the Bermondsey Street Festival, London, UK
2013 Brighton Art Fair, presented by Renée Pfister, Art & Gallery Consultancy, Brighton (UK)
2013 Flowers, Vyner Street, London, UK
2013 Palace Art Fair, presented by Renée Pfister, Art & Gallery Consultancy, London, UK
2013 Spring, Cultivate, Vyner Street, London, UK
2012 Wimbledon Art Studios Open Studio Winter Show, London, UK
2012 Wimbledon Art Studios Open Studio Summer Show, London, UK
2012 Arti in Posa, Mira Villa dei Leoni, Venice, Italy
2010 Arti inferiori, Milano, Italy
2010 Arti inferiori, Art Way Gallery, Treviso, Italy
2010 Italy International Art Fair “Step09”, Art Way Gallery, Milan, Italy
2009 Pecha Kucha Night Catania, Italy
2009 La Fotografia del Pensiero, Italy Fair of Photography, Milan, Italy
