| HOARD MAGAZINE - JANUARY 2001
about Antonio Riello Antonio Riello was born in 1958, in Italy, in a little medieval town called Marostica near Venezia. Now he divides his life between Marostica, Milano, and Amsterdam. After high school he earned a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Padova University. He also has a degree in Architecture from Venezia University. After his studies, he decided to travel around the world working hand-to-mouth with various odd jobs. These jobs included working in a Sadomasochist club in Zurich-CH and as a magician for a German television show. Now he is a professor of "videogame aesthetics and related matters". He teaches in Italy and abroad. Since the beginning of his artistic career, he wanted to be a social reporter investigating his immediate environment. He is particularly interested in the "dark sides" of Italian contemporary life. His artistic inquiries examine: prostitution, criminal scenes, bad tricks, "shortcuts for happiness", "home killers", mafia activities and domestic crimes against women and children. In 1994, he exhibited an installation called "Mafia Relequien". This installation was a "mafia museum" of sorts. It depicted the aesthetic tastes of mafia bosses. This work was presented in Italy and Germany - two places where mafia presence is powerful and particularly dangerous. In 1997, he exhibited "Italiani Brava Gente". This work was in the form of a video game. It was a video game that could actually be played. The video game depicted the racism that is currently present in Italian society against refugees from Eastern Europe. In Italy, "Italiani Brava Gente", his video game/art piece, was considered a scandal. In 2000, Riello participated in a group exhibition in Amsterdam's Red Light District. For this event, he created a huge Monopoly boardgame that was placed in the city square. Instead of controlling the real estate market, this Monopoly board game allowed players to control the prostitution racket. Instead of buying hotels and houses, the game allowed its participants to buy and sell brothels and prostitutes. It was a game in which every man or woman could taste the feeling of being a "pimp". Following the concept of "Ladies Weapons", Riello has begun a similar project called "Ladies Armors". Using plastic, steel and kevlar, he intends to create body armor for women as elegant and effective as the weapons. For this project, he is partially sponsored by DAINESE, which is a company that produces leather suites for motor bikers. --- |