Born in 1973 in Bologna, Federico Solmi lives today in New York. His work in the innovative field of video and audio was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 2009.
We thus had the pleasure of interviewing Federico Solmi to talk about his artistic influences and his market in the States and beyond.
How would you define your artistic evolution and how has this influenced your
positioning in the bull market of art?
My journey from the beginning has taken a very atypical, unconventional trajectory. For
me, art has always meant first and foremost a demonstration of great individuality. By
training, I am self-taught, and I believe this aspect has given me great advantages because
never having had a mentor or professors with whom I had to interact
daily, I had the opportunity to experiment without fear of making mistakes, following my
instinct and my curiosity.
This lack of academic education allowed me to experiment and implement in my pictorial work languages derived from digital worlds and technologies well in advance. This atypical training enabled me to create and impose a style distinct from the artists of my generation.
Since 1999 I have chosen to live in NY, during the last two decades my work has had strong visibility in galleries, institutions, and contemporary art museums around the world.
How does your unique style reflect on the value of your works in the market?
I believe that my works have a strong impact on the new generations and on expert
collecting that recognizes in my work and in my creations a great sense of freedom from traditional
canons.
The experimentation, the search for a unique and distinct style, and the courage to talk about
sometimes even uncomfortable themes that afflict our society have allowed me to adopt a
very singular approach, and I believe that the public and the market recognize these
characteristics of mine.
What is your opinion on the use of the coefficient to evaluate an artist? Do you consider it a useful or limiting indicator?
Honestly, in the American market where I have mainly trained and exhibited over the
last two decades, there has never been talk of coefficients as there is in Europe. Of course, with the
galleries, we work with price lists based on the dimensions of the works, but the coefficient is not as strong a concept as I hear from my colleagues in Europe.
How would you describe your relationship with collectors? What are the qualities you appreciate most in a collector?
Naturally, I have a great respect and a sense of gratitude towards the collectors who allow me
to carry on my research. Clearly, one cannot generalize because there are various categories of
collectors.
I tend to feel very comfortable with collectors who feel art in a very personal and instinctive way and who do not fall into the traps of current trends. I especially admire collectors who see through
their passion for art, the opportunity to share with the artists they support
a wonderful journey in the creation of something exciting and unique.
In which geographical markets do you see greater interest in your work and what do you think
distinguishes these markets?
For about 20 years, my main market has been the United States, as my galleries
were mainly active in the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami. After the
pandemic, everything changed, and it is difficult to predict what will happen in the future.
For 2025/2026 I would like to have a strong presence and find great opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai in Qatar.
Do you have any collaborations or exhibitions planned?
I have many things on the stove, I think 2025 will be a fantastic year!! I am super
optimistic, I am working on a new very ambitious project, I am still in the initial stages I will
let you know as soon as possible!!
Good luck then to Federico Solmi!
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
