Material Witness

Francesco Simeti was born in Palermo, Italy (1968), and he lives and works in New York, United States.

Francesco Simeti is an artist whose practice explores the intersection between beauty, power, and social critique. Best known for his immersive installations and site-specific works, Simeti often employs decorative motifs—such as wallpapers, tapestries, and ornamental patterns—as tools to question historical narratives and expose the darker realities hidden beneath aesthetic surfaces. Drawing from archival materials, mass media imagery, and natural landscapes, his work confronts themes of environmental degradation, political conflict, and collective memory. By juxtaposing the seductive and the unsettling, Through a unique blend of craft, design, and activism, his research not only reclaims traditional forms of decoration but also transforms them into powerful instruments of contemporary reflection.

Public Art is a fundamental aspect of his practice, he has worked with Percent for Art and Public Art for Public Schools in NYC, the Multnomah county in Oregon and has created permanent additions to subway stations in Brooklyn and Chicago.

He has had solo exhibitions at XNL, Piacenza (2022); Assembly Room, New York, (2019); Open Source Gallery, New York (2017); Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Palermo (2012); and Artists Space, New York (2009). His work has been included in group exhibitions at Fondazione Luigi Rovati, Milan (2022); Museo Civico di Castelbuono, Palermo (2019); ICA Singapore (2017); Palazzo Reale, Milan (2016); and Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin (2014). He has also exhibited works at the Triennale di Milano (2014 and 2013).

His work is part of private and public collections such as The Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York; The Philadelphia Museum, Philadelphia; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Civiche Raccolte Musei di Milano, Milan; and Palazzo Belmonte Riso, Museum of Contemporary Art, Palermo, among the others.