PIERO GOLIA
b. 1974, ItalyFrom the outset of his career, Piero Golia has subverted the conventions of contemporary art through concept, form, and act. In January 2006 he vanished from New York, leaving no trace of his plans or whereabouts, only to resurface three weeks later at the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen to give a lecture on his own disappearance. In 2008 he responded to the standardised brief of art fair booths by compacting a full-size passenger bus down to the six-meter width of the assigned space. Luminous Sphere (2010), a mysterious glowing orb installed on the roof of the Standard Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, lights up only when Golia is in Los Angeles; like a sacred presence expressed in LA vernacular, the mysterious cipher awaits projection of meaning from the casual passerby, and a contemporary urban legend is born.
Golia was born in 1974 in Naples, Italy. His work has been shown in major exhibitions in the United States and Europe, including Museo di Castel Sant’Elmo, Naples (2000); National Gallery of Arts, Tirana, Albania (2001); Fondazione Adriano Olivetti, Rome (2002); Fondazione Nicola Trussardi, Milan, Italy (2004); Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo (2005); Serpentine Gallery, London (2006); PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York (2006); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2007); Istituto Svizzero, Venice (2009); Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2010); MAXXI, Rome (2010); Fondation d’Entreprise Ricard, Paris (2012); and Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2014). Solo exhibitions include La Folie de la Villa Médicis, Académie de France à Rome, Villa Medici, Rome (2002); Loser, Statements, Art Basel Miami Beach (2003); Double Tumble or the Awesome Twins, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (2011); Chalet Hollywood, Los Angeles (2013–2014); Chalet Dallas, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas (2015–2016); Académie de France à Rome, Villa Medici, Rome (2016); and Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel (2017).
Golia participated in the 2nd Moscow Biennale (2007); SITE Santa Fe, New Mexico (2008–09); California Biennial, Orange County Museum of Art (2008); 55th Biennale di Venezia, Venice (2013); and Made in L.A. 2014, the Hammer Museum’s 4th biennial.
Golia lives and works in Los Angeles.
Courtesy Gagosian
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