There are objects that seem distant to us and, paradoxically, so commonplace that they go almost unnoticed: capitals, friezes, technological machinery. These objects often exist in unchanging contexts. In Impalcature Affettive, Uso Domestico, Federica Balconi performs a simple act: she brings them home. A different kind of home. Using precisely these distant elements, the artist creates impossible machines, thereby generating a productive failure—a clash of terms—through which these distant objects are stripped of their technicality and returned to everyday life, brought back into alignment with human transience. Here, the clash is not merely a conflict but becomes a transformative gesture capable of generating unexpected moments of tenderness. One example is the work Toc Toc: two battering rams that, instead of breaking down doors, seem to brush against one another as if they were knocking on each other’s doors, transforming the violent gesture into an affective monument. The work Capitello 01, Capitello 02, Capitello 03 draws on a classical architectural element but lightens it with a domestic parody. The form is reminiscent of home printers from which, instead of inked sheets, blank sheets emerge that roll up on themselves and support nothing—not even ink.
Federica Balconi’s imagery stems from her familiarity with technical objects: she comes from a family of engineers and spent a great deal of time in the workshop as a child. Bolts, joints, curved metal pieces—elements that often go unnoticed have always been part of her everyday landscape. It was precisely from this universe that her desire to build impossible machines was born. In the works La noia and La gelosia, two small sections of a large frieze, we notice what is traditionally excluded from public representation: private and vulnerable emotional states. These small scenes are supported by restoration scaffolding, simulating an archaeological site and creating yet another oxymoron. A temple is not inherited; it is built by hand. The monument becomes ironic, fragile, almost homemade. This is not desecration. It is a drawing closer. What seemed distant returns as familiar, emotional, even affectionate. Between object and relic. Between machine and body. Between irony and affection.
curated by Sara Parolini
Federica Balconi (Monza, 1999) earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 2022 from Accademia di Belle Arti G. Carrara in Bergamo. She continued her education by enrolling in the two-year Sculpture program at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where she earned her Master’s Degree in 2025. In 2022, she won the Nocivelli Prize in the Sculpture category. In 2023, she participated in the 15th edition of the Mulhouse 023 Biennial, dedicated to young European artists. In 2025, he took part in Cremona Art Week with the exhibition La Giostra and in the group show Cinque alla Prima at Area Treviglio. In 2026, he developed personal projects such as “AVARIA. Manuale di un malfunzionamento,” at Deposito 2235 in Venice, and “Impalcature Affettive. Uso Domestico,” at Traffic Gallery in Bergamo, curated by Sara Parolini. He participated in the exhibition “Sentimento delle Cose / Feeling of Things,” curated by Gianni Caravaggio, held in the Sala Napoleonica of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts to mark its 250th anniversary. In June of the same year, he participated in the exhibition FiveFold Tuning at Platea in Lodi, curated by Giovanna Manzotti, presenting the work “Guastafeste” as part of Liliana Moro’s installation. He participated in the exhibition “Come, Quando, Fuori, Piove,” curated by Renata Fabbri. Currently on view at the Appalto in Florence, in November he will participate in the exhibition “Distanza di Sicurezza” at Traffic Gallery with the duo Mozzarella Light and Daniele Di Girolamo.
