FRANCESCO DE PREZZO

NULL PAINTINGS

OVERPAINTINGS

MOCKUP PAINTINGS

PLACEHOLDERS

HIDING SURFACES

LIMINAL FIGURES

EXHIBIT MAKERS / AI

KILL THE REFERENCE

SUBSTITUTION

LIMITED EDITIONS

ABOUT

TEXTS

CONTACT

Francesco De Prezzo explores the transformative potential of imagery and the documentary act, whether through painting, photography, or sculpture.
His practice exists in a constant tension between creation and the erasure of the artistic object, interrogating and negotiating its dialectical relationship with the viewer’s gaze.
Within this dynamic, documentation proves to be far from neutral: it becomes a creative act that reshapes the traditional relationship between the artwork and its image,
redefining and assigning new modes of presentation or staging within the artistic context.

upcoming 2026:
>YOU NAME IT, solo exhibition, Oslo, NO
>SUBSTITUTION, LOOM Gallery, Milan, IT
>HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Herning, DK

latest:
>The Bold Side of the Loom, Loom Gallery, Milan, IT
>Fundación Bienal de Cuenca 2024, Cuenca, EC
>Liminal Figures, FORM, [Wageningen/Amsterdam], NL
articles/reviews:
moussemagazine
contemporaryartlibrary
fakewhale
ofluxo
espoarte
>group at Shelter, Ghent, BE
with: Felix Fasolt, Lieve Shukrani Simoens, Jacques de Noodt & Jo Leydt,
Lisa Ijeoma, Aaron Daem, Lydia Rigaux, Max Kesteloot, Evelyn Vanoverbeke, Francesco De Prezzo,
Joselito Verschaeve, Bahati Simoens, Willem Boel, Niels Raoul Boone, Maarten Inghels
>PLACEHOLDERS, Marathon Gallery, Ellenville–NY, US > review on MOUSSE
>Blind Taste, ARBAG, Lisbon, PT
>Artissima, Loom gallery, Turin IT
with: Jonathan Monk, Willy De Sauter, Jan Dibbets, Vadim Fishkin, Paul Gees, Benjamin Jones, Antoine Langenieux Villard, Ignacio Uriarte,
Francesco De Prezzo
>Positions, Saon 75, Copenaghen, DK
with: Jan Domicz, Federica Francesconi, Francesco De Prezzo
>Placeholder Sculptures, FORM, Wageningen, NL > review on MOUSSE
>Artviewer In conversation with Francesco De Prezzo > interview on ARTVIEWER
>Looks like paintings, MOTT Projects, New York, US
with: Moritz Neuhoff, Christopher Wool, Felix Gonzales Torres, Josh Reames, Francesco De Prezzo, Olve Sande, Théodore Géricault
>Miart 2023, Loom Gallery, Milan, IT
with: Robert Barry, Stanley Brouwn, Christo, Francesco De Prezzo, Willy De Sauter, Jan Dibbets, Paul Gees, Dan Graham, Benjamin Jones,
Jonathan Monk, Helmut Newton, Fred Sandback, Giacomo Balla, Ian Wilson > LOOM

LIMINAL FIGURES, monograph, 214 pp., full color offset print, matte coated high-grade paper, PUR binding,
soft-touch matte laminated cover, CMYK 4C, pub. by Form, Amsterdam, 2025

Dear M, we are all assured that painting is inherently a two-dimensional affair, yet we invite you to consider an additional relationship: that of the image of the image.
For years, we have meticulously endeavored to destroy every painting created. And we have not taken pleasure in this, quite the contrary, we have felt considerable
contempt. You see, we have never been as interested in painting as much as something akin to it. We pursued the dimension of emulation, and in the end, in the image
of the painting reproduced on the canvas, we found the same aura that characterized the original color, in a vision free and lofty up to the sky.

S.34 Transitory Replacement:
[Temporary Substitution <—-> Interchangeable Elements] <—-> (Shift in Artwork Dynamics <—-> Exploration of Alternate Perspectives)
S.35 Transformative Exchange:
[Artistic Swap <—-> Trade of Ideas] <—-> (Evolution of Artistic Concepts <—-> Renewal of Creative Expression)
S.36 Altered Substitution:
[Modified Replacement <—-> Transposed Elements] <—-> (Shifting Artistic Paradigms <—-> Transformation of Artistic Language)
S.37 Shifted Transference:
[Moved Supplanting <—-> Succession of Influence] <—-> (Change in Artistic Impact <—-> Shaping of Artistic Legacy)
S.38 Interchanged Succession:
[Successive Swap <—-> Alternation of Roles] <—-> (Interplay of Artistic Identities <—-> Evolution of Artistic Practices)
S.39 Metamorphic Switch:
[Artistic Metamorphosis <—-> Transferred Perspectives] <—-> (Redefinition of Artistic Boundaries <—-> Exploration of Hybrid Artforms)

S.1 Act of Exhibition: Auxiliary Elements (Invitations, Flyers, Catalogues, Documentation) <——-> History of the Exhibition
S.2 Artistic Temporal Echo: Artwork Installation views <——-> Viewer’s Anticipations and Interpretative Choices <——-> Historical
Permanence of the Exhibition
A.4. The relationship between the original apple and its reproduction may change when the viewer is no longer observing, as the act of observation itself
can alter our perceptions. This idea raises intriguing questions about the role of the observer in both art and science. To continue this line of thought,
one might ask: how does the interplay between observation and interpretation influence our understanding of reality and artistic expression?

[S.11 Placeholder Element Concreteness and Abstraction] <——-> [(Concrete Object) : (Abstract Placeholder Element)]
[S.12 Media Interface in Placeholder Element Production] <——-> [(Physical Artwork) : (Digital Creative Tools with Placeholder Elements)]
[S.13 The Coexistence of Real and Imaginary Placeholder Elements] <——-> [(Real-World Object) : (Fictional Placeholder Element Concept)]
[S.14Materiality-Immateriality Continuum of Placeholder Elements] <——-> [(Tactile Art Object) : (Intangible Placeholder Element Experience)]
[S.15 Transmedia Storytelling with Placeholder Elements] <——-> [(Object-Based Narrative) : (Placeholder-Based Narrative)]

We believe there is little to be done; lately, we find ourselves more intrigued by the absence of subjects rather than their presence.
It seems to be a constant fixation in our mind, that of a certain removal, even if we’re not yet sure what it applies to.
In the late afternoon, the objects in the study seemed to be wrapped in a strange, fading shadow. They emerged towards us without actually moving.
It was rather the light that highlighted them, that moved them, on the modernist chessboard of perception.

M.1 Use of heavy, non-transparent drapes to completely cover the artwork.
M.2 Placement of a large, blank canvas in front of the artwork, creating an illusion of emptiness.
M.3 The use of mirrored surfaces around the artwork to deflect and confuse the viewer’s gaze.
M.4 A press release or gallery guide that intentionally omits any mention or depiction of the artwork.
M.5 Placement of the artwork in a darkened corner of the gallery, using minimal or no lighting.
M.6 An elaborate written narrative describing a different artwork altogether, diverting attention from the actual piece.
M.7 A barrier or curtain that requires viewers to actively move it aside to see the artwork, discouraging casual observation.