Ileana Florescu was born in Asmara (Eritrea) to an Italian mother and an English father, who was of Romanian origin.
After spending her childhood in Morocco, France, England and Switzerland, she settled in Italy and earned a master degree in Humanities. Despite a natural talent for painting and drawing, she entered the academic world taking part in Prof. Sergio Bertelli’s History Workshop, and specializing in the study of the Commedia dell’Arte and the rituals of Italian Renaissance courts.
Her essays have been published by Bompiani, Mondadori, Ponte alle Grazie and Bulzoni.
2001
–
Mal di Russia, in
PCI: la storia dimenticata, S. Bertelli, F. Bigazzi eds., Milan, Mondadori, pp. 393-420.
2000
– Casa Republicii, in Il teatro del potere, scenari e rappresentazioni del politico fra Otto e Novecento, S. Bertelli ed., Rome, Carocci, pp. 149-174.
1998
– Casa Repubblicii: The Bucharest of Ceausescu, in Les lieux du pouvoir, Europe du XVème au XXème siècle, G. Sabatier, R. Costa Gomes eds., Lisbon, Fondation Calloustre Gulbenkian-Acarte, pp. 393-429.
1994
– Corsari del tempo, quando il cinema inventa la storia: guida pratica per registi distratti, S. Bertelli, I. Florescu eds., Florence, Ponte alle Grazie, 1994 (reissue 1995)
1993
– Da Karl a Carol: naturalizzazione di una dinastia, in Lo straniero interno, E. Pozzi ed., Florence, Ponte alle Grazie, pp. 107-144.
1987
– Parigi 1585: la querelle degli acteurs buffons, in Viaggi teatrali dall’Italia a Parigi fra Cinque e Seicento, Milan, Costa & Nolan, pp. 109-127
1986
– Harlequin, nom de comédien, “Biblioteca Teatrale”, n. 4, pp. 29-59.
1985
– Gli spazi del quotidiano: la Reggia, in Rituale, Cerimoniale, Etichetta, S. Bertelli, G. Crifò eds., Milan, Bompiani 1985, pp. 85-109.
– La struttura della corte [graphic design], in Le corti italiane del Rinascimento, S. Bertelli, F. Cardini, E. Zorzi eds., Milan, Mondadori, pp. 26-27.
In 2001 her work “Meteorite I” was exhibited for the first time by the Pio Monti Contemporary Art Gallery in the group show “Tra Cielo e Terra”. Her first solo exhibition, “Scie”, was in 2002, curated by Diego Mormorio at the Acta International gallery in Rome. That same year, she decided to relocate her studio to the former Cerere pasta factory, historic seat of the artists’ School San Lorenzo. Lately, her works are focused on the dialogue between photography and literature and were shown in many museums ad galleries, in Italy and abroad.
Selected exhibitions
2018
“Le stanze del Giardino”, solo exhibition, Accademia di Francia in Rome – Villa Medici, Rome
2017
“Seven Works for Mercy”, group exhibiton, Italian Institute of Culture, London
2016
“All’indice – Biblioteca Angelica / Siria, andata e ritorno”, solo exhibition, Diagonale libro/galleria, Rome
“The Sunken Library”, solo exhibition, Museo Erarta, Saint Petersburg
2015
“Libri Prohibiti”, solo exhibition, Biblioteca Angelica, salone vanvitelliano, Rome
“Delta ti – tempo reale”, group exhibition, Museo Carlo Bilotti, Rome
2014
“Io e Calliope”, solo exhibition, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò NYU, New York
2013
“The Submerged Library”, solo exhibition, Art Bourse Riga Museum, Riga
2012
“Io e Calliope”, solo exhibition, Casa delle Letterature, Rome
2011
“Sinfonia per una terra lontana”, solo exhibition, M.K. Ciurlionis National Art Museum, Kaunas
“Lunatiche”, solo exhibition, Galleria Il Ponte Contemporanea, Rome
2010
“Biblioteca scufundata”, solo exhibition, MNAC Contemporary Art National Museum, Bucharest
“Biblioteca scufundata în Biblioteca Centrala”, solo exhibition, Biblioteca Centrale Universitaria, Bucharest
“Miraggi”, Intramoenia Extrart, group exhibition, Castello Alfonsino (Forte a Mare), Brindisi
“Invito all’opera: Persefone”, solo exhibition, Galleria Il Ponte Contemporanea, Rome
2009
“L’umana sintesi”, solo exhibition, Galleria Studio d’Arte Contemporanea Pino Casagrande, Rome
2008
“Mandala collettivo”, group exhibition, Università di Tor Vergata, Rome
LIX Premio Michetti, group exhibition, Mumi-Museo Michetti, Francavilla al Mare
Biennale de Photographie, group exhibition, Musée du Manège, Saint Petersburg
“Tropismi”, group exhibition, Galleria Valentina Moncada, Rome
2007
“Grafie, viaggio sull’acqua”, solo exhibition, Galleria Armory, Perugia
“Double Sens”, solo exhibition, VI Festival Internazionale di Fotografia, Galleria Studio d’Arte Contemporanea Pino Casagrande, Rome
2006
“Rapsodie in blu”, solo exhibition, Galleria Il Ponte Arte Contemporanea, Rome
“Acqua dilava”, solo exhibition, Ellequadro Documenti, Genoa
2004
“Acqua di Cometa”, solo exhibition, III Festival Internazionale di Fotografia, Galleria Valentina Moncada, Rome
“Notti bianche Islanda 07-04”, solo exhibition, Galleria Valentina Moncada, Rome
2002
“Scie”, solo exhibition, Acta International, Rome
2001
“Tra cielo e terra”, group exhibition, Galleria Pio Monti, Rome
