WHAT IS TAROGRAMMA?
Shrouded from the eyes of the world, a hidden civilisation has long existed in parallel with our own. The elusive land of Tarogramma holds the promise of something far beyond our understanding.
Over the course of human history Tarogramma has been discovered accidentally on several occasions. All we know about the place exists in the artefacts and images recovered from expeditions and from the detailed testimonies of the few who have returned. Using this information, a vivid picture has been built of the people and their lives. It is a place with a detailed culture; its own aesthetic, way of living, and understanding of the world.
It is perhaps Tarogramma's elusiveness that has allowed it to live long in the imagination of writers and explorers. As a result, there is no real consensus on the origin or material properties of the place. It is believed by some to be an inaccessible forgotten city, others to be an afterlife, and many to be completely fictional. Whatever the case, it is a world that is at once alien, and eerily similar to our own.
DAMIEN CIFELLI
Damien Cifelli is a multidisciplinary artist and writer from Edinburgh, now based in London. His work explores a fictitious land named Tarogramma. Referencing the scale and compositions of history paintings and historical sculpture, he has built a detailed culture with its own aesthetic, way of living, and understanding of the world; one that is at once alien, and eerily similar to our own.
The work is a visual representation of this alternative society - documentary images of a new world.
He can be found here - Instagram
or contacted at damienmcifelli@gmail.com
CV
Solo Exhibitions
2022 - 'Tarogramma' Liminal Gallery, Margate
2022 - ‘Hidden Door 2022’ Old Royal High, Edinburgh
2022 - ‘Tarogramma’ Hackney Downs Studios, London
2022 - ‘Damien Cifelli x Wolf and Badger’ Wolf And Badger, Netil House, London
2019 - ‘Tarogramma Archive’ Edinburgh Art Festival. Dundas St Gallery, Edinburgh
2019 - ‘Tarogramma Archive’ Edinburgh Art Festival. Italian Cultural Institute, Edinburgh
Exhibitions
2023 - East London Art Prize - Nunnery Gallery, London
2022 - UK New Artists Prize - Saatchi Gallery London
2022 - One Art Taipei - Plzzzz Gallery, Taipei
2022 - The Art of the Football Scarf - OOF Gallery, London
2022 - Delphian Open Call 2022 - Unit 1 Gallery, London
2022 - 'Tendencies in Painting', London Paint Club
2022 - ‘The Rise of Inside’, Eve Leibe Gallery and Artsy
2020 - ‘OPEN VAS + SSA’ Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
2020 - ‘D Contemporary Painting Prize 2019’ D Contemporary, Mayfair, London
2019 - Pastel Society Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2017 - RSA Open Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Awards
East London Art Prize 2023
UK New Artists Award 2022
Delphian Open Call Winner 2022
Saatchi Art ‘Rising Star’ 2022
Dazed x Gap New Generation 2020
Foundwork Artist Prize, Final Selection
Fashion Illustration Drawing Awards (FIDA) finalist
Press
https://www.booooooom.com/2022/08/03/artist-spotlight-damien-cifelli/
https://www.liminal-gallery.com/tarogramma
https://londonpaintclub.com/2022/07/26/damien-cifelli-artist-profile-ovr/
https://www.wolfandbadgerstudios.com/community/interview-damien-cifelli
https://eatworkart.com/hackney-downs-studios/community/eat-work-art-spotlight-damien-cifelli
