MAURIZIO MERCURI
"When I was born I accepted everything free from life" said one of Andrea Pazienza's characters and with the same spirit Maurizio Mercuri faces his exploratory journey in the context that surrounds him. His works include found objects and lived situations characterised by the density of existence that permeates them, therefore chosen for their possibility of becoming part of a mental, noetic environment, while from the sphere of electronics he will likew choose to recover technologies now obsolete and discarded to reinvent them. In one of the interventions present at "Open. Out of order", a small luminous LED is connected to the body of a dead fly, recalling with subtle humour the interpenetration between nature and artificial, highlighting the impalpability of technological "life". Humour and playful irony are therefore necessary to react to the shocks that come from the external context and at the same time useful to convey an awakening of perception. This happens, for example, in the case of fake cigarette butts whose ember, consisting of a miniaturised neon, remains permanently on: the camouflaged work in the environment requires an extremely sensitive perceptive acuity, able to recognise and amplify that labile threshold that separates simulation from reality.A further priority element in Maurizio Mercuri's artistic research is undoubtedly music, which is part of his works both as an autonomous production and as a take from the existing one, for example in the case of the large sea shell that emits the musical hits of the summer. There is also no lack, analysing the wide range of his interventions, an approach to spirituality, where the meditative state is determined by a sort of hypnotic trance: from this feeling of poor spirituality, arising from the rafts of everyday life, interventions are born such as, for example, the loop grafted on the voice of the well-known television columnist Sandro Ciotti, continuously emitted by an old radio placed near a bath towel in the style of the seventies.Once again, an operational element often present in his works appears, which can be found in the need to pursue with lucid determination a deviated and distorted functionality.
In the works of Mercuri "La fantasia al potere” is realised in the private, subjective sphere, establishing itself as a strategy to escape the homologation, the alienating dimension of work, the pressures to which we are often forced by acting in the social sphere. It will be, through electronics, the invention, the spirituality, to rediscover the margins of pleasure and reflection often sacrificed today for productive tasks.
Maurizio Mercuri was born in Fabriano (AN) in 1965, lives between S. Donato (AN) and Bologna Main personal exhibitions: 1992: Spazio Navile, Bologna 1993: Viafarini, Milan; 1995: Castel S. Pietro Terme (BO); 1996: Newsantandrea, Savona.Main collective exhibitions: 1993: Time to Time, Castello di Rivara (TO); 1994: Ars Luc: Stendhal Syndrome, with Cuoghi and Corsello, Depot, Bologna: 1995: Open 95. Out of order, Galleria d’arte Moderna, Bologna: Perrome, Ciraci, Mercuri, Massimo De carlo, Milan.Guido Molinari

Solo exhibitions:
2022, Nessuna risposta a nessuna domanda, AF Gallery, Bologna;
2016, Erede, Piazzalunga Cultura, Suzzara;
1998, Maurizio De Mercuri, Galleria Neon, Bologna;
1996, Soste #1, Galleria Newsantandrea, Savona;
1995, Io ho un'aragosta finta, Castel San Pietro Terme, Bologna;
1995, Arte Video TV, Palazzo Sanguinetti, Bologna;
1993, Cultura e Società, Spazio Viafarini, Milan

Collective exhibitions:
2025, Facile Ironia, curated by Lorenzo Balbi, Caterina Molteni, MAMBO Museo d'arte Moderna , Bologna;
2024, Note di Sguardi, curated by Giovanna sarto, Gino Gianuizzi, Sara Bernshausen-Cervia-Berlin- Bologna;
2023, I feel loved, Videoscrening galleria Zero, Milan;
2022, NO, NEON, NO CRY, MAMBO Museo d'arte Moderna , Bologna;
2020, L'aureola delle Cose, sentire l'habitat,Premio Michetti, curated by Guido Molinari, Francavilla al Mare;
2021, Mercato Nero, curated by Paola Gaggiotti, Studio Legale JP, Piccinino Bertolazzi, Milan;
2021, Premio Marche, Il tempo, lo sbaglio, lo spazio, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Forte Malatesta, Ascoli
Piceno;
2021, Pupille, cured by Fulvio Chimento Sentieri, d'arte Cortina d'Ampezzo (BL);
2021, A/Essenze Villa carlotta, curated by Fulvio Chimento Tremezzina, Como;
2020, Filigrana Alchemilla, Palazzo Vizzani, Bologna;
2019, Into the word, cured by Andrea Inglese, Gianluca codeghini, Assab One, Milan;2019, Premio Salvi, cured by Riccardo Tonti Bandini, Sassoferrato (AN);
2018, Raymond, cured by Luca Trevisani, Olaf Nicolai, Maria Giovanna Virga, Manifesta 12, Palermo;
2018, Audiovetture,cured by Fabrizio Basso, Silvia Cini, Gino Gianuizzi,Bologna;
2018, Yacht Show L'entrepot Gallery, cured by Gino Gianuizzi, Montecarlo, (MC);
2017, And Now for Something Completely Different L'entrepot Gallery, cured by Gino Gianuizzi, Montecarlo;
2016, Terra Provocata, curated by Matteo Zauli, Guido Molinari, Fondazione del Monte, Bologna;
2016, No Place Space, Premio Suzzara, curated by Umberto Cavenago, Ermanno Cristini, Piazzalunga Cultura, Suzzarra (MN);
2016, MINIPIMER LOCALEDUE, cured by Gabriele Tosi, Bologna;2015, 11:00 Struttura -comunità-associazione-confronto, curated by Guido Molinari, Casabianca Zola Predosa, Bologna;
2014, Un rumore bianco, curated by Andrea Bruciati Assab One, Milan2014, Videoscreening, cured by Gloria De Risi, Galleria Zero,  Milan;
2013, Venti Leggeri, curated by Stefano W Pasquini, Studio cloud, Bologna;
2012, Falansterio, curated by Guido Molinari, Spazio Morris, Milan;
2012, Cathedrale, curated by Chiara pergola, Massimo Marchetti Musée de l'OHM Museo civico medievale,
Bologna;
2012, These Peanuts are bullet, Le Dictateur at Family Business, Chelsea ,New York City2012, Maurizio; Mercuri / Alek O. ,curated by Guido Molinari, Casabianca Zola Predosa, Bologna;
2011, Atlantide, curated by Guido Molinari, Casabianca Zola Predosa, Bologna;
2011, Artisti d'Italia, Chiesa Madonna del Duomo, cured by Giovanna Uzzani, Arezzo;
2011, Playground, curated by Massimo Marchetti, Zola Predosa, Bologna;
2010, Casabianca, curated by Anteo Radovan, Casabianca, Zola Predosa, Bologna;
2008, Debate: art market and smile, curated by sislej Xhafa, Station Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina;
2008, Tre artisti e una banca, curated by Rita Vitali Rosati, Banca Popolare di Ancona - Filiale di Fabriano;
2008, Seek Refuge, curated by Marta Casati, Riccardo Lisi, Camping Village,Venice;
2003, Quadriennale, Turin;
2003, Entrar'acte, curated by Piercarlo Borgogno, Gino Gianuizzi, Palazzo Albiroli, Bologna;
2002, Cosa Arcana e Stupenda, curated by Andrea Bellini, Sermoneta (LT);
1998, Area: Marco Boggio Sella, Pierluigi Calignano, Pierpaolo Campanini, Stefania Galegati, Maurizio Mercuri, Diego Perrone, Galleria Salvatore + Caroline Ala, Milan;
1998, Morphing, Galleria Marabini, Bologna;
1997, 9 Mostre..., Galleria Continua, San Gimignano;
1997, Officina Italia, Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Imola;
1996, Cuoricini, Galleria Newsantandrea, Savona;
1995, Pietro Calignano, Sarah Ciraci, Maurizio Mercuri, Diego Perrone, Galleria Massimo De Carlo, Milan;
1995, Zagrebaski Saloon, Museo Prostor, Zagabria;
1995, Aperto '95 Out of Order, Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Bologna;
1995, Parlare sull'arte, Betta Frigieri Gallery, Sassuolo;
1995, I Depotisti, Hip Hop Gallery, Bologna;
1995, The, Galleria Neon, Bologna;
1994, Ars Lux, traveling exhibition;
1994, Progetto E, Galleria Henn, Maastricht;
1994, Sindrome di Stendhal, Depot, Bologna;
1993, Time to Time, Castello di Rivara, Turin;
1993, Collettiva, Galleria Raucci Santamaria, Naples;
1993, Voci - Incontri di Confine, Zétema Recinto, Matera;
1992, Premio imaginaria '92, La Rinascente, Milan;
1992, Media Finali, Associazione Culturale Italo Francese, Bologna;
1992, Trekking, Galleria Neon, Bologna;

Intervensions:
2023, Sottotraccia, cured by Galleria Zero, Milano art community, Metropolitana, Milan;
2021, Ricominciare dal silenzio, cured by LOCALEDUE, CO_ATTO vetrine sottopasso stazione Garibaldi, Milan;
2018,Audiovetture, cured by Fabrizio Basso, Silvia Cini ,Gino Gianuizzi Bologna;
2018, Playbike, cured by Silvia Cini, Stefania Galegati Shines, Palermo;
2016, Fabricamenti Fabriano, AN;2015, De.Ve in Loco, cured by Spazi Indecisi, Patrizia Giambi, Serra  Pan Orchids, Forlì;2012, Il proprio posto è dove si è, cured by Interno 04, Delta-Bo project, Bologna;
1998, Maurizio Mercuri, Link, Bologna;
1997, Domani è come oggi, performance per Interventi, Link, Bologna;
1996, L'Avvento, performance per Cin Ciun Cian, Molto Multimedia Gallery, Milan;
1993, S. Donato Electronick & Villa Genziana Corporation, XVL Biennale di Venezia, Venice;1993, Sindrome di Stendhal, Galleria Loft, Valdagno;
1992, C&S, Spazio Viafarini, Milan:2016 No Place Space, Premio Suzzara, A cura di Umberto Cavenago, Ermanno Cristini, Piazzalunga Cultura;

Video:
1996, Spelling, Galleria Newsantandrea, Savona;
1995, Art Club, Lo Specchio di Dionisio, Bologna;
1995, Rassegna di opere. Video di artisti italiani N1, a+mbookstore, Milan;