Umberto Giovannini

Umberto Giovannini’s practice is driven by his interest in the changing, floating contemporary world, whether in its social or environmental aspects, and by investigation of personal perceptions of contemporary life through images that resonate with a collective memory. Giovannini sees making art as a crucial relationship between thought and constant practice of one’s craft and has worked for the past twenty years with a number of disciplines, among which printmaking has emerged as his primary instrument for investigating reality. His works – prints, installations, artists’ books – have been exhibited internationally. Since the mid-1990s, the need to delve into experiences and environments radically removed from his ordinary life has pushed him to design and complete a variety of solo and group projects. These were included in exhibitions and editorial productions such as Ferrocarril (2013-2014) and LINA (2016-2019). Since 2020 he has been working on Petrolio, an investigation into the dark soul of contemporary society. Umberto in 2009 he founded the Opificio della Rosa, a low environmental impact printmaking centre in Italy. His practice is complemented by academic work. He is currently Professor in Art and Design at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. In 2022, he published Printmaking tales.