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Bio

Letizia Cariello

The desire to intercept the material consistency of time takes concrete form in the search for and collection of its traces, and in making them visible in the writing of calendars or in the red thread links of objects, materials and spaces. Through this process of identification and re-stitching, she rebuilds connections and relationships otherwise lost. From trees to teapots, from cups to photographs, his mark crosses everyday things to materialise time in a perceptible form. As of June 9 2022, following the awakening of her identity, she assumed the stage name of LETIA.

LETIA, the artistic name adopted in 2021 by Letizia Cariello, has focused her research on rendering the passage of time tangible through a refined approach that starts from everyday objects, weaving a network of relationships capable of making time perceptible. Her educational background is extensive: with a degree in art history and a position teaching Artistic Anatomy at the Brera Academy, she also has a deep interest in music, which forms an integral part of her artistic vision. Sound and rhythm in her work echo classical Greek and Latin culture, closely linked to space and the proportionality of environments, which can even be measured and visualised within a floor plan. Her works carry a meditative, existential quality and take shape in various forms: Calendars, Gates, as well as performances, installations, videos, embroidered photographs, artist’s books, and Red Threads that traverse diverse materials. The Calendars, where dates, months, and days mark the beginning and end of a performance, feature densely handwritten numbers and letters, chiselled into marble or stone, or, in some cases, fabric adorned with gold or bronze leaf inserts. The artist’s contemplative approach has also led her to envision Gates made of wool threads interwoven on square-headed nails, symbolising connections to the inner self and resonating with the concept of energy as explored in quantum physics. Born into a Neapolitan family dedicated to sculpture since the 17th century, LETIA began drawing under the guidance of her paternal grandfather before the age of three and has never stopped since.

Full Professor of Artistic Anatomy at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan – Sculpture Department, Letizia Cariello (Letia) was selected by the EU during Barroso’s Presidency to participate, alongside 14 other European artists, intellectuals, and scientists, in the project “A New Narrative for Europe.” Guest Curator of the Milano Design Film Festival with a project on Architecture and Music, won the BNL-BNP Paribas Prize for Photography at MIA. Invited by the ICA Foundation for the Aria Italiana project, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Farnesina Collection, Rome.

 Her works are part of numerous public and private collections, including, among others, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC (US); Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina (US); Farnesina Collection – Experimenta, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rome; Certosa di San Lorenzo, Padula; Museion / Ar-Ge Kunst, Bolzano; Rocca di Montestaffoli, San Gimignano; Artrust Collection, Lugano (CH); Borromeo Collection, Milan; Hangar 2173 / Monte Bianco – Skyway, Courmayeur (AO); BAG – Uni L. Bocconi; Fondazione Trussardi; AssabOne Milan, and many others. 

 She exhibits in Italy and abroad; recent exhibitions include *Calendario-Nous*, 2022, curated by Annette Hofmann, Buildingbox, Milan; *Fuso Orario*, 2021, curated by Leonardo Regano, Galleria Studio G7, Bologna; and *Il tuo cielo è verde*, 2021, curated by Olga Gambari, Filatoio Rosso, Caraglio. She has participated in group exhibitions organised by prominent museum institutions, such as La Triennale di Milano, MART in Rovereto, Kunstverein Ludwigsburg, VIDEO SOUND ART FESTIVAL in Milan, and San Moritz Art Masters in St. Moritz. In 2019, she was a speaker at TEDx Busto Arsizio.  In 2020 she was selected within the Level 0 award of ArtVerona by M9 – Museo del ‘900, Mestre (VE).

The first dissertation on her research, completed by undergraduate Marta Raffa, was discussed in 2022 at the Università Cattolica di Milano, supervisor prof Francesco Tedeschi.

Via De Alessandri, 9
20144 Milano, IT
E: letiziacariello[at]gmail.com