AnnaKustera is pleased to present Los Angeles-based artist Mattia Biagi in his New York solo debut. Biagi's baroque and highly textural reinterpretations of Earth art involve the use of black tar in order to both preserve and destroy. In his newest work, Biagi comments on geopolitics and the environment by invoking the legend of the phoenix, the mythical bird whose rise from death and ashes suggests the hope of renewal. In this mixed-media installation, Biagi's biggest and most ambitious to date, a salvaged 1954 Buick sedan--tarred, corroded and sectioned--becomes the fertile bed for a live tree. By juxtaposing the remnants of dead technology versus nature, Biagi creates a sensual and visually arresting experience that projects a life-affirming optimism.

Mattia Biagi was born in Ravenna, Italy, in 1974, and graduated from the Italian art and design school, I.R.F.A. and the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. He was the apprentice for Giulio Cappellini and has been the creative director for the Cappellini design company for over a decade. His work has been seen internationally, most notably at Art Miami Basel 2006, Dzine in San Francisco, Twentieth in Los Angeles, Marconi Gallery in Bologna, and has appeared in numerous publications including Zink Magazine, Flaunt, Surface and the Los Angeles Times.