Draft:Cristina Simeoni

Cristina Simeoni (born December 2, 1974, in Mantua) is an Italian visual artist. Her mode of expression ranges from abstract art to installations. Cristina Simeoni primarily employs structural pastes as her main medium to create textured works that stand out due to the incorporation of various materials, including natural fibers, wood, stone, and metal. Her works are characterized by their simplicity and brightness, with a clear preference for minimalism, which imparts a sense of purity and lightness.

From a young age, Simeoni exhibited a strong passion for art, participating in Madonnari gatherings and distinguishing herself through her creativity and expressive intensity. Specializing in drawing and oil painting since childhood, she later expanded her skills by attending courses in painting and decorative arts after obtaining her technical diploma. These experiences led her to gain recognition and establish connections with renowned painters.

In addition to her work as an advertising illustrator, Cristina Simeoni has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions and shows, earning acclaim from both the public and critics. In 2008, she founded her own Art Studio, which houses a permanent exhibition of her works and serves as a cultural center with the participation of renowned artists in the visual arts field.

Her artistic activity is documented by periodic and specialized press, and her works have been reproduced in art publications and are included in both public and private collections.

Beginnings: "The Light in the Darkness"
Art is the most sincere and direct language that Cristina Simeoni knows. By her own admission, not creating art is akin to losing the ability to communicate. As an only child, she spent much time alone, finding in art a companion, a pastime, and a refuge.

At the outset of her career, Cristina devoted herself to realistic painting, capturing what she saw around her. This approach provided a safe ground for her to take her first steps in the art world and establish a connection with the viewers of her paintings. However, over time and with maturity, she felt the need to go beyond, to express not only the images but also the emotions they evoked in her.

Cristina primarily painted at night, as she was occupied with another job during the day. It was during this period that she created her first series of works: nocturnal landscapes illuminated by warm lights, bringing the canvases to life. In these nightscapes, the human figure is always absent, allowing the observer to become the true protagonist. Darkness becomes a tool to enhance the lights, those lights to which, as she herself says, "one clings at night as in life."

These nocturnal landscapes gradually became more essential, leading her to focus exclusively on the light. Thus, the "Lights" collection was born, characterized by geometric elements emerging from the darkness with sudden bursts of color.

Minimalism Between Light and Abstraction
In 2018, during a visit to the Miró Foundation in Spain, Cristina Simeoni experienced a moment of profound transformation. In the presence of the works of the great master, something unexpected broke in her mind and heart. This event marked a radical turning point in her artistic production, leading her to abandon real images as the starting point for her paintings, to focus exclusively on the sensations and emotions she wished to convey.

From that moment, Cristina's artistic journey shifted towards abstraction, purity, and the essentiality of forms. Her latest works were thus born, characterized by a predominance of white. In this phase, the material comes to life on the pictorial support thanks to the light that breaks, insinuates, and traverses every form, thickness, and wave created, becoming the author of the chiaroscuro that changes with the passing hours.

Her minimalist works create a fluid flow within spaces, evoking a sense of freedom, calm, and brightness. Through her artistic evolution, Cristina Simeoni invites observers to immerse themselves in an emotional journey where light and abstraction become the absolute protagonists, offering a unique and engaging visual experience.

Selected Group Exhibitions

 * 2019 "La Materia e la Creazione" - Abbazia San Benedetto Po in Polirone (Mantova)
 * 2014 "Luxury Art" - La Meridiana - Via Fiori 23 - Casinalbo (Modena)
 * 2014 “Forma et Imago mentis” Corte Isolani - Bologna
 * 2013 "Keeping in Touch" - Artrom Network - Via Faiti n.6 Roma
 * 2013 "Abstracta" - Palazzo Ducale di Sabbioneta- Piazza Ducale -  Sabbioneta (MN)
 * 2013 "L’Espressività dell’Alluminio" Spazio Comel - Latina - Italy
 * 2013 “Biennale Internazionale d’Arte Contemporanea Art Brescia” Sala Polivalente - Calvisano (Brescia)
 * 2013 “Dallo Spartito alla Tela” Castello di Monticelli d'Ongina - (Piacenza) - Italy
 * 2013 “L'Arte al tempo di Giuseppe Verdi” Museo Ponchielli - Paderno Ponchielli (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2012 "Il Tempo e lo Spazio" Palazzo Orsini - Bomarzo (Viterbo)  - Italy
 * 2012 "Nel giardino di Verdiana" Castello Pallavicino - Casali, Monticelli d’Ongina (Piacenza) - Italy
 * 2012 “Donne e seduzione” Palazzo del Turismo - Peschiera Maraglio - Monte Isola Lago d'Iseo (Brescia)
 * 2012 “Passaggi” Galleria municipale - Lavenone (Brescia) - Lago d’Idro - Italy
 * 2011 “Artedonna a San Zeno” Tuttolibri - S.Zeno Naviglio (Brescia) - Italy
 * 2011 "Le donne e l’arte" Comune di Motta Baluffi (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2011 "Donne d’arte" Chiesa di San Rocco Pavone del Mella (Brescia) - Italy
 * 2011 “Donne e seduzione” Palazzo del Turismo - Peschiera Maraglio - Monte Isola Lago d'Iseo (Brescia)
 * 2011 “Da Monteisola alla luna” Percorsi Sperimentali - Palazzo del Turismo- Peschiera Maraglio.
 * 2011 “Artefiera Orzinuovi” Orzinuovi (Brescia) - Italy
 * 2011 “Drawn Togeter” Siena Art Institute - Siena - Italy
 * 2011 “Spazio4” Palazzo del Podestà, Soresina (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2010 “Artedonna” Tuttolibri - S.Zeno Naviglio (Brescia) - Italy
 * 2010 “Pandino Artedonna” Castello Visconteo Comune di Pandino (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2009 "Artedonna" Castello Visconteo Comune di Pandino (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2008 "Artedonna" Castello Visconteo Comune di Pandino (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2008 Collettiva a Palazzo Beffa - Asola (Mantova) - Italy
 * 2008 "Underground" Teatro Sociale di Soresina (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2007 "Amici d'Arte" Galleria d’Arte Zanetti - Bozzolo (Mantova) - Italy
 * 2006 "Colori e sguardi sul tempo" Palazzo del Podestà - Soresina (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2006 "Pittori della nostra terra" Teatro Comunale - Rodigo (Mantova) - Italy
 * 2005 “Images of the water" Galleria “Immagini Spazio arte” - Cremona - Italy
 * 2005 Collettiva Sala degli Affreschi del Castello Visconteo di Pandino (Cremona) - Italy
 * 2004 “L’arte al femminile” Galleria “Immagini Spazio arte” - Cremona - Italy
 * 2002 Rassegna Fuori Stagione Galleria Immagini - Cremona - Italy
 * 2001 Mostra Mercato “Artisti a Torino 2001” - Palazzo Nervi - Torino - Italy
 * 2001 XVI Premio S.Giorgio Concorso di Pittura a tema su invito - San Giorgio (Mantova) - Italy
 * 2001 Premio Suzzara  sezione a libera partecipazione - Galleria del Premio - Suzzara (Mantova) - Italy
 * 2001 Concorso internazionale di umorismo “Isole 2001” mostra itinerante su invito.
 * 2001 Fiera Mercato d’arte contemporanea ARTE Padova 2001 - Padova - Italy
 * 2000 Mostra d’arte comune di Gazzuolo (Mantova) - Italy
 * 2000 Collettiva Villa Ormond - Sanremo (Imola) - Italy
 * 1997 Collettiva -Torre civica - Piubega (Mantova) - Italy

Awards

 * 2013 Finalista Premio Comel 2013 - Premio Internazionale d’arte.
 * 2011 Primo premio concorso “Energia e Natura” Comune Orzinuovi
 * 2005 Premio Speciale Biblioteca del IV Concorso di pittura “Pandino mon amour”.
 * 2003 Terzo premio per la composizione della quarta edizione del Concorso Nazionale Cremona 2000- Trofeo Luigi Valenti.
 * 2002 Secondo premio della terza edizione del Concorso Nazionale Cremona 2000- Trofeo Luigi Valenti.
 * 2001 Premio Lucio Violi Associazione Culturale Italia Sanremo Riconoscimento Prix Paris 1999 “Belle Epoque”