Storia Universale 27-37
Universal History of Art 37 tells the story of a young boy’s journey of redemption and transformation, who, lost in the Berlin freedom of bygone times, finds himself enslaved by his own self and the reality he has created until he ultimately discovers completeness in art. It all begins when, returning from one of his many disastrous nights, Ludovico stumbles upon a small analog compact camera in the streets of Neukölln. From there, the still-unaware artist decides to use photography as an escape from a static reality full of contradictions.
Universal History of Art 37 is a project that flows and arises from a collaboration between the artist and the inevitability of life itself, resulting in a diary composed of photographs and archival material, using an art encyclopedia titled STORIA UNIVERSALE DELL’ARTE 37 as a support. This book was stolen by the artist’s schizophrenic uncle from Porta Portese, who later gifted it to him as a sign of respect and admiration. Ludovico accepts this gift as an omen and decides to pour all his experiences into the book, declaring that everything placed inside would become his “UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF STORY,” or a personal artistic manifesto made of life, luck, and misfortune transformed into fortune.
This manifesto, which later influences all of Ludovico’s creative approach, lays its foundations in Berlin’s punk, libertine, and brutalist culture, London’s DIY ethos, and Roman neorealist narrative, resulting in an artistic hybrid dedicated to escapism that is as reckless as it is beneficial.
This manifesto, which later influences all of Ludovico’s creative approach, lays its foundations in Berlin’s punk, libertine, and brutalist culture, London’s DIY ethos, and Roman neorealist narrative, resulting in an artistic hybrid dedicated to escapism that is as reckless as it is beneficial.
A photographic diary built from images captured with an analog camera stolen at a Berlin flea market. After nearly a year of shooting and developing prints at a budget lab, the photographs were carefully compiled into a book. The pages rest on the framework of an old art encyclopedia, Storia Universale dell’Arte 37, itself retrieved by the artist’s schizophrenic uncle from Portaportese. The work merges found object, personal archive, and photographic diary, creating a layered narrative where memory, theft, and devotion converge into a fragile, intimate artifact.