#4, 2020
Cotton, acrylic, mold on canvas
182,9 × 185,4 cm
[Photo: Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio, © ADAGP, Paris. Courtesy Pascale Marthine Tayou and GALLERIA CONTINUA, by SIAE 2021]
Equally inspired by historical and current events, Perego’s multidisciplinary practice involves recontextualizing found objects that are deceptively simple and come loaded with traumatic origins and back stories. Investigating the turbulent and cyclical nature of history, each repurposed item reflects lives lost or obscured by conflict and subjugation.
For the haunting series #4 (2017), recycled pillowcases collected from orphanages in France and Italy were used. Stitched together, these used linens also provide the basis for a series of elegantly composed quilted paintings covered with stabilized mold. Recognizing this potentially toxic substance often deters viewers from approaching too closely, demonstrating the inherent tension between seduction and repulsion.
Marco Perego lives and works in Los Angeles and Italy. He has had solo shows at Maccarone, Los Angeles, and Untilthen, Paris. His group shows include the Untilthen in Paris, and the Rennie Collection in Vancouver. His works can also be found in public collections, among which The Rennie Museum, Vancouver; Jumex Collection, Mexico City; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.