After her success at the Triennale di Milano, former RUFA student Francesca Leone has become one of the most accomplished Italian artists. Her works are exhibited in major Italian and international galleries. Her latest exhibition, held in Rome, was titled “Giardino” and marked the culmination of Leone’s new experimental approach.
After years of creating extraordinary portraits of contemporary icons, Leone has shifted toward a more conceptual language. She showcased a large grate embedded with urban waste alongside monumental “canvases” of reinforced concrete. These works reflect her new urban vision, with the exhibition aiming to renew her social critique of disrespectful behavior toward the planet.
Through her sculptural paintings, Leone solidifies her new artistic exploration while preserving the aesthetic grace that has always distinguished her. The installation was unconsciously created with the contribution of hundreds of people who left behind waste and objects in the streets. Today, the grate’s crevices return a stark testimony of this, featuring cigarette butts, plastics, stones, paper, keys, trash, and coins.