RIBOT is pleased to present If you feel me, I am you, the first solo exhibition at the gallery by Simona Andrioletti (Bergamo, 1990; lives and works in Munich). This new project, created specifically for the occasion, revisits some of the central themes of the artist’s practice, including the investigation into systemic violence as well as the defense mechanisms that emerge in response to traumatic experiences.
The exhibition title, a true statement, marks the beginning of a kind of emotional journey in which the viewer is personally implicated and held responsible for the possibility of attuning themselves to a hypothetical other. A dynamic is thus set in motion in which we can all stop to be merely ourselves; from this perspective, we encounter a series of multimedia works rich in layered symbolic elements.
On the gallery’s first floor, a series of textile works personally made by Andrioletti using the quilting technique is on view. The soft, enveloping supports become the site of antithetical and disorienting embroideries: captivating helmets and suits of armor— inspired by the illustrations in the volume Arms & Armor: A Pictorial Archive from Nineteenth-Century Sources—whose strength and functionality are entirely neutralized. Simple or composed of multiple “modules” held together by zippers, these compositions resemble the protection of an embrace that binds two people or an entire community, becoming a form of emotional and intangible armor.
The same quilts reappear on the lower level of the gallery, where the space is enclosed and restricted by a cage/artwork, forcing visitors to enter in order to approach the walls displaying the textiles. The hardness of the aluminum and the cage’s structure evoke trauma as a condition of blockage and confinement, while the phrases inscribed on some of the bars—legible only by stepping forward into the space and thus physically experiencing it—convey feelings of discomfort and fear, as well as a sense of ambiguity that is difficult to define.
In this exhibition, each element acts as a component within an articulated system that can be read on multiple levels: nothing is shouted, everything is suggested, delicately hinted at, and gently recalled.
For the exhibition, the artist has also produced a special project in a limited edition: a steel choker that echoes the title of the show, taking the form of an unusual and emblematic anatomical jewel.
Simona Andrioletti (Bergamo, 1990) lives and work in Munich. Her solo and group exhibitions have been held at: Mart, Rovereto, 2026; Eigen Art Lab, Berlin, 2026; Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, 2026; Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim, 2025; Kunstverein e.V, Munich, 2025-2024; /SAC Bucharest, 2025; Bayrischer Hof, Munich, 2025; Galerie im Saalbau, Berlin, 2025; DG Kunstraum, Munich, 2024; RIBOT gallery, Milan, 2024; Lost Weekend, Munich, 2023; Villa Stuck, Munich, 2022; Lothringer13 Halle, Munich, 2022; Museo Novecento, Florence, 2020; Federkiel Stiftung, 2019; Nir Altman Galerie, Munich, 2018; MACRO, Rome, 2017. Awards include: USA-Stipendium, the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst, 2026; Atelierpreis award, Bayerisches Wissenschaft und Kunstministerium, Munich, 2026; Förderung der Chancengleichheit für Frauen in Forschung und Lehre, Bavarian Ministry of Science and Art, 2025; Preis der Akademie aus den Stipendienfonds, Munich, 2022; TalentPrize 10 years, MACRO, Rome, 2017.
