Gianluca Cosci (1970, Italy) completed a BA in painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Bologna. Between 1999 and 2011 he lived and worked in London where he obtained Master degrees in fine art at Chelsea College of Art and in art and design at the Institute of Education, University of London. In 2011 he moved to Brussels where he currently lives and works. He is expected to defend his Ph.D. in the arts at LUCA School of Art/KU Leuven University in December 2023 titled “The Denied Image: Art Interventions Between Iconoclasm and Institutional Critique”.
In his practice Gianluca Cosci investigates the different interpretations of iconoclasm concerning the concept of visual obliteration using existing artworks as palimpsests and creating new pieces through painting and photography. In his work the artist examines the auratic potency of images when subjected to iconoclastic interventions. Cosci’s eclectic oeuvre converges towards the dichotomy between the visible and invisible, perception and imagination. In his investigations the artist aims to convey the concept of 'hidden' by partially veiling images and denying visions. Ultimately, Gianluca Cosci examines the enigma of images and how their allure can be amplified when they are concealed or erased: visual negation can eventually serve as a means for the viewer to adhere to the Duchampian principle of actively engaging in the interpretation and finalisation of the artwork, as the crucial and supreme contribution to the artistic experience.
Gianluca Cosci: "I am interested in Iconoclasm as a way to explore, question and analyse the power of images. I see the diminishment of visual perception as a stimulus for imagination and contemplation: the fascination of images can be amplified when they are hidden or denied."
