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Michael Biello, Headlights & Icons, Size, Medium, Date
Michael Biello is an interdisciplinary artist who draws inspiration from his Italian American roots, his passion for theatre,... and his longtime commitment to LGBTQ+ cultural activism. Biello is one of the artisan/makers who helped create the revivals of Old City Philadelphia in the 1970’s and Noho New York in the 1990’s. Biello's work has been exhibited internationally and is in numerous private collections including many in the entertainment industry. In addition to his work in visual art, Biello has a long history as a performance artist and lyricist in collaboration with his life-partner, composer Dan Martin.
Biello graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1973 with a BFA in Ceramics. His teachers included ceramicist William Daley and curator/art historian Helen Drutt. Biello continues to create and show his work in his storefront atelier in Old City Philadelphia.
Through art we heal. Art has always been my path to finding center in a sometimes unsettling ever-changing world. Art is my sanctuary, where I can feel safe in the midst of the madness. The creative process leads me home. Read more
Family Jewels
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Inspired by the Roman Catholic churches of my childhood in an Italian working-class neighborhood of Philadelphia, by my family’s deep roots on Italy’s Adriatic coast, by my queer cultural activism, and by theatre and performance art, these pieces bring together a tribe of imaginary characters – some brothers, some lovers, some saints - in a joyful dance of communal pride. I hand-build and slip cast these figures, surfacing them with handwritten words from my poems and lyrics, adorning/tattooing them with pencil, pen, paint, glaze, and leaf. Some are illuminated from within.
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