ConiglioViola (literally translated: "Purple Rabbit") is a multimedia art factory created by artists Fabrice Coniglio and Andrea Raviola. It is active in many areas of contemporary art scene: videoart / digital paintings / photography / net.art / interactive installations / multimedia theater / performances / electronic music. This eclecticism derives from a reflection about digital medium intended as meta-language. This consents ConiglioViola to elaborate a project and then to decline it into all possible artistic shapes. The intrinsic characteristic of digital medium - "fluidity" (Lev Manovich) - is therefore used in order to liquefy the borderline between the different artistic genres and merge consolidated forms, styles and techniques. Digital medium is used to rescue a rinascimental vision of the artist that can get free from the obligation of specialization, intended as a heritage of the industrial culture. These features are symbolized by the logo of the group that represents a Vitruvian Rabbit. ConiglioViola conceives its artistic projects with a strong attitude to be spectacular and popular: to go beyond the close borders of Contemporary Art and to join an audience as large as possible. The first field of experimentation was net.art where ConiglioViola introduced the idea of the web site as a real space. The first experiment was Yolanda's meditation, http://yolanda.coniglioviola.com , the first net.artwork that consents to meditate on line and that is still used by thousands of people all over the world. Through the instrument of irony, this work introduces the idea that the digital space can not only become an extension of human memory but also of deeper states of consciousness. The debut of a contemporary art exhibition happens in 2005 when ConiglioViola is invited to represent the Piedmont region at the XII Bjcem, Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de l'Europe et de la Mèditerranée (Naples, Castel Sant'Elmo, artistic supervision by Achille Bonito Oliva). Here ConiglioViola presents the interactive installation Passion.Rabbit: a rabbit shaped room where visitors are invited to get in and perform, while the artists act an interactive vj-set.

In 2006 ConiglioViola presents, at Bnd gallery in Milan, its first solo exhibition: the colossal-project "Recuperate Le Vostre Radici Quadrate" (Don't forget Your Square Roots), where ConiglioViola presents a collection of music videos produced on 20-year-old Italian songs. This project is also the starting point of a multimedia live show that ConiglioViola presents in various theaters all over Italy.

In 2007 ConiglioViola was the author of a spectacular Pirate attack on the 52nd Biennale in Venice: an enormous Pirate Rabbit, winged like the Lion of San Marco, with one eye covered with a classic pirate's eye patch, crossed the whole Canale della Giudecca on board a large raft, as far as the Giardini, the official venue of the Biennale, and from there - at around 6pm - it fired 52 cannon shots at the buildings of the Biennale. Again, in 2007, it was the protagonist of the discussed exhibition in Milan about Art and Homosexuality where ConiglioViola presented the shocking work "Ecce Trans" that was censored suscitating a great clamor and, finally, taking to the closing of the exhibition itself. On November of the same year it wins the award "Pagine Bianche d'Autore" at ARTissima. Few weeks later, ConiglioViola debuts in Paris with the solo show "Nous Deux" that obtains great success with public and critics. Nous Deux (The two of us) is a collection of eleven photographs plus a video in which the two artists, Brice Coniglio and Andrea Raviola, trough a complex work of digital manipulation and hand drawing, represent themselves as children and project their own story out of time and reality. Here ConiglioViola also experiments in the recovering of ancient representation techniques such as stereoscopy. 2007 closes with a new interactive project. ConiglioViola is invited by Achille Bonito Oliva to take part in a group exhibition in the castles of Puglia. ConiglioViola presents the video "REBUS"... not a simple video-installation, but a real enigma that visitors have to solve if they want to grant themselves access to the rest of the exhibition. If they don't solve the video-rebus they have to pay a fee to visit the rest of the show.

In its career ConiglioViola collaborated with the Italian rock diva Loredana Bertè, with the fashion designers Etro, Vivienne Westwood and Antonio Marras, with the critic Achille Bonito Oliva and with Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo (the two play as actors in two videos), with the Australian theatrical company IRAA Theatre, with the actor Valter Malosti.

Since 2006, it is represented by the gallery BnD Tomaso Renoldi Bracco, Milan, together with artists like David Lachapelle, Andres Serrano, Erwin Olaf.



Solo Exhibitions

2007

* Nous deux, ParisPhoto CloseUp - Unicredit Group / DiVA, Paris * Pirate attack on the 52nd Biennale in Venezia, Venezia * Rebus, galleria A+A, Venezia

2006

* Recuperate Le Vostre Radici Quadrate, catalogue with text by Luca Beatrice, bnd TomasoRenoldiBracco , Milano; Capitol , Cagliari * XI Miart - monography curated by bnd tomasorenoldibracco

2005

* Rabbit.Pad, curated by Norma Mangione, Dieffe, Torino

2004

* Zoo.gno - personale/animale di ConiglioViola, Stop, Rome

Selected Group Exhibitions

2007

* Intramoenia Extrart, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva, Giusy Caroppo. Lecce-Muro Leccese-Acaya * Vade Retro. Arte e Omosessualità. curated by Vittorio Sgarbi, E. Viola. Palazzo della Ragione, Milano. * Unreal Flower, MyOwnGallery, SuperstudioPiù, Milano * "Curve Pericolose" curated by Maurizio Sciaccaluga, Caselli Daziari di Porta Venezia, Milano * PhotoLondon 2007 * ArteFiera - Bologna (premiere of the video "Romantici")

2006

* ARTissima13 - Lingotto, Torino * Pan.archive[d] - PAN @ ARTissima13 curated by Diana Marrone * Proposte XXI - Oh youth and beauty, curated by a.titolo and vedovamazzei, Accademia Albertina, Torino * VideoIsland, curated by Olivia Spatola and Micol di Veroli, Isola del Cinema, Roma * La donna Oggetto, curated by Luca Beatrice Castello Visconteo Sforzesco, Vigevano * Il surrealismo di Delvaux tra Magritte e De Chirico, Palazzo Bricherasio, Torino * Piemonte Share Festival, curated by S. Lodi, C. Garibaldi, Accademia delle Belle Arti di Torino * Il Corridoio dell?Arte, curated by Norma Mangione, Gabriele Fasolino, Palazzo della Provincia di Torino * Site-Specific, on line exhibition, curated by Corrado Mora

2005

* XII BJCEM - Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de l?Europe et de la Mèditerranée, artistic supervision by Achille Bonito Oliva, Castel Sant?Elmo, Napoli * CLIP IT curated by Luca Beatrice; Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo di Torino, Prague Biennial, Rotterdam Art Fair, British Academy in Rome * In sede: 25 Artisti per Luoghi non comuni, curated by Francesco Poli, Torino * WWW - Walk Wonder Window, curated by Guido Curto, Archivio Storico dell?Italgas, Torino * Personal Velocity, curated by Luisa Perlo, Lisa Parola (a.titolo), EnPleinAir, Pinerolo (TO) * Experimenta Arte, curated by Guillermina De Gennaro, Giusy Caroppo, Alberobello * Ap-punto, curated by Norma Mangione, Triennale di Milano

2004

* Media.Comm(unity)/comm.Medium, curated by Gabriele Perretta, Masedu, Museum of Contemporary Art of Sassari * Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto, Canada * Milano Flash Art Fair - Between the Sheets, curated by Gianluca Marziani, Hotel Una Tocq, Milano * Le forme del digitale curated by Angelo Capasso, MiArt, Milano * Cosmiche Scritture, curated by Marcello Pecchioli, Palazzo Bonolis, Brescia * Primalia: Immagini, Schermi, Spazi, Riproducibilità, curated by Gabriele Perretta, Palazzo Cedir, Reggio Calabria * Play Time. Dimensione ludica e new media art curated by Domenico Quaranta, Orsa, Torino

2003

* Delirio, curated by Giusy Caroppo, Castello Svevo di Trani * Digitalis 2, curated by David Leith, Coquitlam, Canada * Cold Explosion, Paolo Erbetta, Foggia * Festarte, curated by Valentina Tanni, Distillerie Clandestine, Roma * Pescara Eletronic Arts Meeting, Pescara * Prato Media Lab, Prato * Q13-Garage,curated by P. Capata, S. Coletto e A. Zanchetta, Centro Culturale Candiani, Venezia Mestre * Cartoombria IX, Mostra Internazionale delle Nuove Immagini Animate, Perugia

2002

* FILE Festival Internacional De Linguagem Eletrônica, Rio de Janeiro

Performances/Theatre/Concerts/Visual Live Sets

2007

* Pirate attack on the 52nd Biennale in Venezia, Venezia * Teatro Alfieri, Asti

2006

* Moto d'Idee Distretto Culturale Evoluto, Circolo degli Artisti, Faenza * Rigenerazione Festival, Sala Espace, Teatro Stabile di Torino * Notte dei Musei, Museo Villa Croce, Genova * Hiroshima Mon Amour, Torino * Notte Olimpica - Olympic Winter Games, Torino * Tecnoteatro 8.0, Torino * Una legge per la musica, RollingStone, Milano * Duel:Beat, Napoli

2005

* Festival Grinzane Cavour, Magliano Alfieri * Changing Role Gallery / La Mela, Napoli * Fonopoli Incontra Fonopoli, event curated by Giusy Caroppo, Roma * Experimenta Arte, Alberobello * Torinonondorme * Art Bubbles, Torino * Gasoline, Milano * Gay Village, Roma * Zero, Firenze * Italian Web Awards, FrancaVilla al Mare * VideoPuntoZero 3, Cafè Liber, Torino * The Violet.Room interactive video-performance, in collaboration with Stalker Teatro,Torino * Mi ricordo...le radici quadrate Coniglioviola vs Matteo B. Bianchi, The Beach, Torino * La Valle non dorme, Villarperosa

2004

* Neutra, Roma * Villa Capriglio, Torino

2003

* Festival Grinzane Cavour; Castelmagno * Teatro Piccolo Parallelo, Romanengo * Noir Club, Bisceglie

CineFestival

2006

* Il Coreografo Elettronico, curated by NapoliDanza, PAN - Palazzo delle Arti, Napoli

2005

* XX Turin International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival * XIX Festival Internazionale di Cinema GayLesbico di Milano * Antifestival II, Cineteca Nazionale di Bologna

2003

* Cartoombria IX, Perugia

2002

* Web City Internet Fiesta, Firenze * XVII Turin International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival XVI Festival Internazionale di Cinema GayLesbico di Milano * Happening Internazionale Underground, Leonkavallo, Milano * Mei Premio Videoclip Indipendente, Faenza * Torino Digital Clip Festival

2001

* Torino Digital Clip Festival

Collaborations and commitments

2007

* Achille Bonito Oliva, guest-star in the video "Rebus" * Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, guest-star in the video "Rebaratto" * Luca Beatrice "Zero", cover design for the book published by Baldini&Castoldi * Vivienne Westwood for "Nonsoloviola"

2006

* ETRO for "Nonsoloviola" * Andrès Serrano, "The Morgue" and "Cycads", catalogues for the two exhibtions in Milan * Strade di Fuoco, videoclip and cover design for Loredana Bertè (produced and distributed by Edel/Nar) * Festival Rigenerazione, concept and design for Teatro Stabile di Torino

2005

* Private Eye, photography for IRAA Theatre?s performance, Melbourne International Arts Festival

2004

* TheVioletZoo: ConiglioViola funds The VioletZoo, network of electronic musicians * Secret.Room, net.drama from the original play by IRAA Theatre * Sangue (movie by Libero di Rienzo) visual sets

2001

* Official website, cover design, videoclips for the album "Soluzioni" (Sony/Mescal) of Modho (Andrea Raviola's Band)

Awards and Nominations

* Winners of Pagine Bianche d'Autore 2007 - Piemonte * Pagine Bianche d'Autore 2006 - 2nd classified for Regione Piemonte - curated by Teresa Macrì * Winners of MOVIN UP 2005 (Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali) with the project De.Private Eye at Melbourne International Arts Festival in collaboration with IRAA Theatre * Winners of third and fourth price at Italian E-Content Award 2005 with the websites www.tvzeta.it and www.thevioletglobe.coniglioviola.com/secret.room, Politecnico di Milano * Two Nominations as best Italian website (www.coniglioviola.com e www.tvzeta.it) at Italian Web Awards 2005, FrancaVilla al Mare Best Flash Video at Rock Targato Italia 2002 * Nomination as best Italian indipendent videoclip, Mei, Faenza 2003

Lectures

* Workshop at A+A gallery for young artists of the Q2Q project - Venezia - 2 Febbraio 2007 * La videoclip-art secondo ConiglioViola Antifestival II - Cineteca Nazionale di Bologna - 9 giugno 2005 * Play Time. Dimensione ludica e new media art? a cura di D. Quaranta Ass. Orsa, Torino, 30 Giugno 2004 * "Le forme del digitale" a cura di Angelo Capasso - MiArt - Milano- 14 Maggio 2004

Catalogues

* Vade Retro. Arte e Omosessualità, Electa, 2007 * Curve Pericolose, Maretti Editore, 2007 * Queer Too Queer, Comune di Venezia, 2007 * Oh Youth and Beauty - curated by a.titolo and vedovamazzei, Regione Piemonte, 2006 * Recuperate Le Vostre Radici Quadrate, text by Luca Beatrice, bnd tomasorenoldibracco contemporaryartvision, 2006 * La donna Oggetto, curated by Luca Beatrice, Allemandi * Il Corridoio dell'Arte, curated by Norma Mangione * MiArt XI Anteprima, 2006 * Piemonte Share Festival 2006, curated by Simona Lodi and Chiara Garibaldi * ManifesTO, curated by Riccardo Passoni for GAM, Torino, Allemandi Editore * XII BJCEM, 2005 * Personal Velocity, curated by Lisa Parola, Luisa Perlo (A.Titolo) * Experimenta Arte, curated by Guillermina de Gennaro and Giusy Caroppo * Primalia, spazi, schermi, riproducibilità, by G. Perretta * Between the sheets, curated by Gianluca Marziani * Cold Explosion, curated by ExtrArt * PragueBiennale II, Giancarlo Politi Editore * Delirio, curated by Giusy Caroppo * Q13-Garage, by P. Capata, S. Coletto, A. Zanchetta

Bibliography, etc

* Luca Beatrice "Zero" Baldini&Castoldi 2007 * Giulia Bondi, Silvia Sitton "Non di sola arte" Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli * Carlo Infante "Performing Media - la nuova spettacolarità della comunicazione interattiva e mobile" Novecento libri 2004 * Gabriele Perretta "Media.Comm(unity)-Com.Medium" Mimesis 2004 * Press Reviews and Critical Texts