A multifaceted artist with a long list of successful projects in the field of design and art, with continuous contaminations between animation, music and figurative art. Simone Brillarelli, born in 1982, is the first protagonist of Xacus’ “The Art of Becoming” Project. His poetic approach stands out for the dynamic creativity that combines the contemporary language of advertising with the deep and conceptual language of painting thus leading to artworks boasting a powerful personality.
Tell us from the beginning how this collaboration with Xacus came about
I believe they noticed me thanks to a project I did for Mercato Centrale in 2021, which won me a gold medal at the ADCI awards and made me a member of the Art Director's Club Italia.
It is a 400,000 square metres space plus a food hall: they assigned me the customisation of the entire structure, so I created works for the entire location, first designed digitally and then combined with traditionally painted ones. This project was a sounding board for many other ones, including my collaboration with Xacus.
Can you tell us about the Xacus’ project theme?
I was assigned the theme of “Italianness” in the sense of the Italian spirit, which I translated into the concept of family: an extended family that includes all the people who work at the company and contribute to the quality of its products.
The artist created a 2x2 canvas, a one-minute video and a pattern that will be used to create fabrics for the limited editions of the Xacus collection.
What has this job meant to you? What did it leave you?
It helped me to grow more empathy for the people in the team but also for myself, also loosening up a bit from that shyness that hides behind one’s comfort zone. Because opening the doors of your home and your studio gives you the chance to discover yourself as you let others discover you. I did this simply by following my instinct.
It is necessary to have consirable balance and awareness to do this
Let's say that at the moment I am balanced half-way between focusing and recharging by spending time alone. It is important to experience contact with people but I could not do it every day.
Simone Brillarelli's flowers - the common thread of the project
Simone Brillarelli's flowers represent the fruit of the seeds planted over the years and now growing more beautiful and lush than ever. In an ever-changing interpretation of reality, each image is built on top of the other, leaving trails of the previous one to show a new work of art.
"I love to play with the concept of what is an original and what is a copy. For Plato, everything we do in the real world is a copy of the Hyperuranius, where original ideas live".
Has the experience with Xacus fuelled your inspiration for an industry like that of fashion?
It was certainly an opportunity to create something that had been in the back burner of my mind for a while, the pattern for the limited edition of Xacus’ shirts was super intriguing. A pattern inspired by the work we did together at home, on the floral elements that are my signature ones. An experience that I hope to repeat also on scarves or other fashion accessories, and on custom made items in general.
Any future projects?
There is a movie with Stefania Sandrelli, produced by Kpu and distributed by Fandango, starring Silvia d'amico and Paolo Rossi coming up for which I handled the poster and the initial animation title. The director is Corrado Ceron and it was introduced in Venice in the days dedicated to young actors. It talks about an important topic but handled with rare grace. That’s all I can say.
What do you think about art in the metaverse?
I am in between the physical and the digital worlds, and have always found myself somewhere in the middle, perhaps in no man's land. This new artistic period that has opened the door to the metaverse ennobles digital art and that’s good. I have participated in online galleries on Pixel Skull and have my own collection on OpenSea. I think it is super intriguing, especially the smart contract part that binds the piece inextricably to the user and the possibility of getting royalties even if the work changes hands. It is yet another chance to express oneself, and for an artist to see the new medium and try to add one's poetics within that medium is a very interesting challenge. It opens the doors of freedom of expression and endless possibilities.
What about your work in the music industry?
I had music bands for which I handled the production, then I started playing electronic synth music with a musician who became very famous up until 24 years old: Clap! Clap! Then I started a small record label, Fresh Yo Label, which specialised in black electronic music.
Brillarelli with a 1000 lives
It's true! But I never forced myself to do anything. I always did what I wanted to do, all the way. And that's a message I wish to share with young people: do what you like, but commit to it.
