Mimmo Paladino (Paduli, 1948), is an artist, painter, sculptor and engraver among the leading exponent of the Italian Transavanguardia.
After an initial experimentation phase with different tecniques, from collage to photography, Paladino turns to painting and becomes one of the leading exponent of Transvanguardia. The movement is theorized by Achille Bonito Oliva in 1980 and took part in “Aperto 80” exhibition during the Venice Biennale in the same year: on this occasion the artists claim a comeback to painting in spite of the dematerialization wanted by minimal and conceptual art.
The work of Paladino keeps an intense dialogue between monochrome painting and pseudo-figurative sculpture and has its peak with the installation of big dimension, where objects are inserted on canvases or painted walls and lead to three-dimensional creations.
Sculpture represents, as well as painting, an important side of his production: bronz and aluminium fusion, painted wood, copper, iron. Paladino dedicates himself also to engraving with etching, xylography, linocut.
He exhibited at the Transavantgarde exhibition in 1983, at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, the “New Art” exhibition in London’sTate Gallery that same year.
In the 1990s, he began carrying out important interventions on urban spaces, he took part with the architect Roberto Serino in the reconstruction of the city of Gibellina after the earthquake of 1968, the project was guided by Arnaldo Pomodoro, Paladino was involved in a project for the church.
The collaboration with the architect continued with a sculptural project for the city of Benevento in 1992, the permanent “Hortus Conclusus” installation in the San Domenico cloisters.
In the late 1990s Paladino realised more painting cycles, which are focused on a problematic aspect of his research , the constant questioning on the art language: geometry, fragmentary, variety and accumulation of signs.
The theater as well has been an experimentation area, Paladino worked often as scenographer with Mario Martone. He gained the Ubu price for scenic design for “Edipo a Colono”.
Paladino currently lives and works in Rome, Paduli and Mattinata