gerlanda di Francia 

DEAR MONSTERS

solo exhibition

February 21st - March 16th, 2025

Opening Reception: First Friday, March 7th, 2025 ​

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Arch Enemy Arts presents DEAR MONSTERS by Gerlanda di Francia (Italian, b. 1976). Working in acrylic, stoneclay and mixed media, Gerlanda imbues solitary introspection with tender affection, subduing the weight of her thematic work with stylistic whimsy and insistent compassion. For this collection, which features five paintings and four framed sculptures, the artist composes a love letter to the monsters and demons living within:

 

“DEAR MONSTERS explores the idea of monsters not just as fantastical creatures but, more importantly, as representations of our inner shadows. The work aims to evoke the unsettling feelings we live with every day, while also exploring the possibility of accepting and making peace with them. It is an invitation not to suppress our dark side but to recognize and understand it. By exploring the aspects we often fear, we can grow and find genuine balance within ourselves.

 

“Starting with this concept of ‘monster,’ each piece explores a different aspect of that idea. On one hand, there’s the monster of our fantastical imagination, celebrated in literature and cinema, such as Frankenstein (Beyond Hurts and Perfectly Imperfect) or the visionary works of Georges Méliès (Moon Eye and Curtain of Darkness). On the other hand, there’s the monster as a product of social conditions (Holy Lies and Heredity) where the monster is represented by lies. Religions often create monsters: history teaches us how beliefs and superstitions have shaped oppressive social rules and imposed discriminatory behaviors.

 

“Duality is my favorite piece in this collection. I wanted to explore the duality of being human, made up of both the body and the soul. The figures are arranged symmetrically on a triangular structure, which in universal symbolism, represents harmony and unity. In this case, soul and body are intertwined; they’re parts of the same form, seemingly opposite but connected by universal and recognizable elements like love and death, the heart and the mind.”   

 

Gerlanda di Francia moves between Rome and a small province in southern Italy where she was born. Her paintings are constructed slowly; using thin brushes to cross-hatch delicate layers of acrylic, she overlaps subtle variations of color, building the forms of her paintings. The paint seeps into the wood fiber base, a process akin to the ancient fresco paintings that inspire her, in which paint absorbs into plaster. Gerlanda di Francia has been exhibiting with Arch Enemy Arts since 2021, and DEAR MONSTERS is her fourth solo feature with the gallery.

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DEAR MONSTERS will be on view from February 21st - March 16th, 2025
Sold works will begin to ship the week starting March 23rd, unless other rush shipping arrangements have been made. Items marked with a red dot have already been sold.

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