L’opera di LBS riguarda gli ultimi casi di discriminazione di genere e violenza.
In an era in which cases of gender discrimination and violence against women emerge with painful regularity in Italian and world news, a work of street art captures attention and stimulates a crucial dialogue.
The work by the artist LBS (Bruno Salvatore Latella) entitled “La Morte di Callisto” bursts into the urban artistic panorama of the city of Reggio Calabria as a cry against the imposed silence, a visual appeal that cannot and must not be ignored. Wrapped in a golden cloth, the body of Callisto, despite being the emblem of an idealized chastity, is crossed by the words “THIS IS NOT FOR YOU” which, in scarlet letters, marks the skin of the goddess. A warning, a claim of autonomy, a clear refusal of the right of possession that consumerism would like to exercise on the female body, and not only.
The opera is a stage where classical tragedy meets modern criticism, where the intricate and elegant golden frame frames a scene of rawness and reality. This visual dissonance resonates with the question of chastity, a historical and social value that is questioned, challenged and redrawn by the contours of a contemporary world that often distorts and exploits it.
Saturated colors and disturbing details blend to create an atmosphere that is both dreamlike and disturbing, evoking a palpable tension. The solitary rose and vivid grass emphasize stifled vitality, while the pink and purple sky suggests a universe of stifled possibilities.
“The Death of Callisto” questions, provokes, and invites a critical reflection on the reality of women in a society that too often distorts the concepts of purity and violation. The work is not only a reference to mythology and classical art, but is a powerful statement that shakes the collective conscience, pushing it to confront the consequences of a system that preaches profit at the expense of the human essence.
With this work, the artist emphasizes the crisis of an ideology that sacrifices identity and integrity for profit, offering a visual meditation on chastity and violence in modern society. A meditation that, in its oxymoronic existence, becomes a call to reconsider, respect and protect the sacredness of the individual against every form of oppression and commodification.
Artist LBS has a vision that combines the artivist movement of the “liquid super-society” with postmodern Pop art. This vision is expressed through a symbolism based on the semiological, sociological and philosophical/theological analysis of contemporary society, characterized by technocracy, passive culture and the lack of dreams and certainties, especially in the new generations. His work is guided by the belief that “knowledge leads to destruction and rebirth”. LBS uses a variety of techniques, including photography, digital drawing, fine art prints and painting, taking inspiration from Renaissance, Symbolist, Pop art and Street art works, in order to effectively communicate his conceptual and social message.
His artistic research has a pedagogical component linked to his academic training and the ideas that guide his projects. The artist has reached significant milestones in his career, including solo exhibitions, publications and awards. Among his future projects, there are further exhibitions and Street art works both in Italy and abroad, at the invitation of collectors and private and public bodies.
Article published on 19 January 2024 - 17:07
