Miami Artist Francesco Locastro

Despite the ubiquity of — and our affection for — Instagram and the internet, the way we discovered Italian-born, Miami-based artist Francesco Locastro this summer remains one of our favorite ways to source new talent: wandering aimlessly through the aisles of an art or design fair until something stops you in your tracks with its sheer beauty. That’s what happened last month when we were browsing the Market Art & Design fair in Bridgehampton, first with Zane Lewis at The Hole and then with Locastro, when we spied this pretty little mixed-media sculpture at the booth of Miami-based gallery Damien A. Roman.

When we got home, we did some digging and found Locastro’s whole Safety series, which we’re including here today (and which is a three-dimensional departure from his usual works on canvas). Says the artist: “I’ve always been fascinated with ubiquitous safety design elements of public institutions, retirement homes, hospitals and its palliative care units. Like a silent hand, the neutral interiors, furniture, healthcare instruments and signage are meant to be soothing, minimal and non-intrusive, yet effective in form and function.  A balancing act, not uncommon to the world of design and communication,  which is taken to extreme efficacy when matters of public safety and health care are at hand. I wanted to further understand this peculiar mode of visual interaction and communication and break down its elements into basic, essential abstractions with a narrow focus on the meaning and definition of safety and protection, suspended between certainty and delusion in the face of unavoidable truths and possibly expand on the visual vocabulary of comfort and its necessity at the most critical stages of life.” If only healthcare actually looked this chic. Scroll through for more images, then go to Locastro’s website for a deeper understanding of his work.Plexus2 ForceMajeure2 ClickbaitFiasco2 Voxel2 ModernLove2 DTNConsole DestinyWaves2 OptimumCruise