Piriongo, the writer (with a pop soul)

From an early age he was animated by a creative streak that distinguished him, leading him to subsequently undertake artistic studies aimed at encountering the world of advertising and communication, with a clear and claimed origin from graffiti – the fruit of that social and cultural manifestation of wall painting widespread throughout the worldbased on the expression of his creativity through pictorial interventions on the urban fabric – for which he himself defines himself as a “writer”.

Piergiorgio Leonforte, aka Piriongo, from Paceco, but with an artistic base in Trapani, lives among colours, honoring art in its various forms and traveling the world with his works, without leaving his home.

«I have always loved pop culture and I have also followed a path on a graphic level oriented towards this genre; then with the growth and evolution of the Neo-pop movement, an international postmodern artistic current that developed starting from nineties of the twentieth century – he says – which allows you to work with mixed techniques, digital printing, screen printing, Part-up technique, i.e. painting with stencils, cutting out parts of figures that are mixed with colour, I changed my expressive method, to also arrive at the technique neo-expressionist, another contemporary movement that allows the interpretation of the human being through the eyes of the artist.

Adv

From a very young age I participated in impromptu painting events and I continued as an adult with significant experiences in Milan and Rome. For a period I had interrupted my artistic production to dedicate myself to graphic communication, but then at the age of 40 I decided to make a total change to my work and dedicate myself only to my contemporary art to define my style.”

Thanks to social channels Piriongo he managed to get noticed by several galleries interested in his works and since then he has participated in group exhibitions in Milan, Parma, some contemporary art fairs, including the Baf in Bergamo, the ArtFair in Parma, the Arte Padova and the ‘ExpoArte Città di Montichiari, with very positive feedback especially from online auctions, and a sales channel in particular, called ‘CharityStars’, followed by a company that carries out auctions for the sporting and artistic environment, which donates part of that which is proceeds from the sale, for charity. It is precisely this world that has promoted him to one of the most popular artists.

«I am very attached to social issues and I jumped at this opportunity. Luckily I’m one of the best-selling artists on that circuit. With great satisfaction I also created a campaign for Alzheimer’s disease in which all the proceeds went to charity.”

Several of his projects are in “under construction” mode and concern the creation of murals in the Municipality of Paceco, where he lives. «I am creating an entirely painted container museum, with a sort of gallery inside, which will be positioned in a place near the schools in Paceco, where artists will be able to participate in group and/or personal exhibitions. It is my homage to my municipality of residence.”

Piriongo was born as a stage name to indicate an artist who comes from the world of graffiti, where names and surnames are not used but only acronyms linked to the pop culture of the 90s. «I was thinking of a name that is identifiable for other artists and that does not refer to mine in full».

His satisfaction was great when he was called for a project then carried out in Naples, in the Sanità district: a mural, inspired by Massimo Troisi, in which in addition to the actor, a message against violence against women is depicted, drawing inspiration from some images of the film ‘Il Postino’ with a phrase dedicated to Beatrice.

«It was an initiative aimed at the urban regeneration of Via Cirillo and the San Lorenzo district, in the historic centre, between Piazza Garibaldi and Via Foria and adjacent to the Rione Sanità, famous because it is where the birthplace of Totò, the prince of laughter, is located. , who lived there until the age of 24.

The idea of ​​Felice Riccardi, owner of a bar located in that street, was to fight degradation and resignation with art.

I was contacted by the creator of the project and after a few messages we were already accomplices and in agreement in bringing this work to life by coloring a wall in the neighborhood; a space that is not very large but which gives a lot of Neapolitan flavor to the place. I thought of depicting an icon much loved by Neapolitans and all of Italy.

The phrase he masters in the opera is “I didn’t say anything to her, I looked at her and fell in love”, the one from the scene in which Mario Ruoppolo, played by Massimo Troisi, talks to Neruda about the meeting with Beatrice.

A gust of romance, therefore, to give importance to women in this dark period which has scarred the lives of too many girls persecuted by their lovers.

From Marisa Leo to Giulia Cecchettin, and many other victims. With an invitation: the one to kiss under a heart with the words ‘Kiss Here’, now imprinted on these walls of Naples.

The #viviacirillo project can be viewed on social channels, Instagram and Facebook”. Meanwhile, Piriongo will soon realize another important project, this time in Milan, in a place of great importance and commissioned by an important personality, which for good luck he doesn’t want to talk about at the moment.

However, a painting depicting judge Giovanni Falcone is ready and will be displayed in a museum in the coming weeks at the San Rocco Museum in Trapani, thanks to an initiative supported by the ANM (National Association of Magistrates) and by the curator of the Museum himself, Don Liborio Palmeri.

«I have many projects – says Piriongo – but I have already achieved my goal, and that is to live from my art in Trapani, in Paceco, my city, without having had the need to physically leave here.

We know how not easy it is, and I am lucky to have been able to reach very distant places with my works, having sold in Tokyo, Japan, but also in Texas, Abu Dhabi and throughout Europe, from my home laboratory.

For me this is the right compromise to be satisfied: to live at home, the territory that I love and which I feel is an enormous privilege, and through art reach the center of the world.”

In the near future he will dedicate himself to another job with contemporary art and street art courses for children who live in difficult contexts.

It will do so thanks to PNRR funds, in Marsala. «The idea is to take the child out of a certain context and bring him to another, decidedly more positive one. Disseminating contemporary art in this way is my goal.”

Piergiorgio alias Piriongo’s artistic debut dates back to the early 1990s, when he felt the need to create a character that would allow him to enter the world of art.

The Fallen Angel World is born, the world of fallen angels from Paradisewhose central character is Piriongo himself, a stylized and ironic figure in which the eyes stand out, allowing one to come into contact with the interiority of the other.

This world, characterized by formal simplification and full of instinctive vitality, is rich in dynamic elements inserted in a wide chromatic range.

These are wings, halos, flowers, stars, clouds, crowns. The crown in particular represents ascent, creative and spiritual balance. These elements are reworked into a sort of graphic motif that is varied and multiplied.

Among his role models were the artists Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Mario Schifano.

Today, with its bright and simple universe, it mainly expresses a pop-digital soul. She is currently present in galleries such as Casati in Monza, where she is resident artist, San Babila in Milan, Monocromo Art in Rome, and her works are sold all over the world, enriching the private collections of many connoisseurs.

As well as traveling around Italy, he participated in an event called ‘The transmigration of the soul’, in which together with a group of performing artists, DJs, musicians, dancers, he worked in historical places such as the Kothon of Mozia, all inside the temple of Hera in Selinunte and at the Theater of Segesta, inside the castle of the Spanish quarters in Erice, above the roof of Torre di Ligny and at the Pepoli Museum in Trapani, and performed live performances on the occasion of the ‘Love Family’ event Beach’, created for Wind Tre also in Trapani.

His two paintings were highly appreciated, created as extemporaneous works within the literary exhibition “Bagli Narranti” of the Municipality of Misiliscemi, in which he gave life to Fratel Biagio Conte, on the occasion of the presentation of the book on his life, and to Pier Paolo Pasolini, at the presence of the writer Dacia Maraini, who told some episodes of the director’s life and his friendship with him.