Emilio Vavarella was born in Monfalcone (GO) in 1989.
He is an Italian artist who works between interdisciplinary artistic practice, theoretical research and media experimentation. His work explores the relationship between subjectivity, non-human creativity and technological power. Vavarella moves seamlessly between old and new media and exploits technical errors and other unpredictability to reveal the logic and hidden structures of power.
Among the prestigious venues that have exhibited Vavarella’s works: MAXXI – Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo; KANAL – Centro Pompidou; MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna; Museo d’Arte Contemporanea – Zagabria; Museu de Ciències Naturals di Barcellona, The Photographer’s Gallery di Londra, Museo de Arte de Caldas; Villa Manin; Museo Nacional Bellas Artes di Santiago; Museu das Comunicações di Lisbona, National Art Center di Tokyo; Eyebeam Art and Technology Center e Museo di Arte Contemporanea Vojvodina.
His works have been exhibited at film festivals such as Toronto’s Images Festival; Torino Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, e in molti festival internazionali di media art, tra cui: EMAF – European Media Art Festival; JMAF – Japan Media Arts Festival; Stuttgarter Filmwinter – Festival dei media espansi; BVAM – Biennale Arte Media; e NYEAF – Festival delle arti elettroniche di New York.
Vavarella has received numerous awards, including the Exibart Art Prize (2020); Premio Consiglio d’Italia (2019); Premio Fattori Contemporaneo (2019); SIAE – Nuove Opere (2019); la sovvenzione NYSCA Electronic Media and Film Finishing Funds (2016); il Premio Francesco Fabbri per l’Arte Contemporanea (2015) e il Movin’Up Grant (2015). È stato invitato a presentare il suo lavoro presso: Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative; Istituto Italiano di Cultura – New York; ISEA – Simposio Internazionale sulle Arti Elettroniche; Goldsmiths University di Londra; l’Università di East London; la Scuola dell’Art Institute di Chicago; e SIGGRAFIA.
His writings have also appeared in Behind the Smart World: Saving, Deleting and Resurfacing Data produced by AMRO Research Lab and in exhibition catalogs such as Low Form: Imaginaries and Visions in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (MAXXI and CURA Books); That’s all! (MAMbo) and Robot Love (Niet Normaal Foundation). His work is regularly discussed in art journals, academic books and peer-reviewed journals and has been covered by all major global media. His most recent artist book, published by Mousse, is titled rs548049170_1_69869_TT.
Vavarella is currently working towards a PhD in Film and Visual Studies and Critical Media Practice at Harvard University. He holds an M.A. cum laude in Visual Arts from the Iuav University of Venice, with scholarships abroad at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Tel Aviv and Bilgi University of Istanbul and holds a B.A. cum laude in Visual, Cultural and Media Studies at the University of Bologna.
