Un Sedicesimo 10

Antonio Marras uses a “strong” news image and repeats it creating a series of hypnotic variations by re-elaborating its colours, figures and backgrounds. The image appears in every page in its objectivity and insistence. However, each one is different from another thanks to Antonio Marras’s overlapped and coloured personal drawing. As a result, the starting image becomes unique and stronger in communicating its message. Crisis of history are mentioned in newspapers almost only on the occasion of serious and violent battles: Antonio Marras aims to direct the readers’ attention to an urgency hidden in everyday life. Following the multifaceted spirit of variety of Un Sedicesimo, this project faces a social theme in total autonomy from the author’s point of view, without remarks, observations nor debates.

Antonio Marras grew up amongst the fabrics and remnants of his father’s shop. He first steps into fashion in 1987, and made his proper début in haute couture in 1996. In 1999 he presents his first prêt-à-porter collection, and since 2003 he is artistic director of the maison Kenzo.
His inspiration mainly comes from tradition, the allure of travel and a yearning for nostalgia; his formal research considers ornament as a symbolic element and pursues strong contrasts of techniques, colours and fabrics. His personal combination of intellectual nomadism and sense of one’s origins is the groundwork of all his creations.