The Peruvian plastic artist Rafael Lanfranco will present his line of characters and ceramics called Perujis (Peru + Emojis) at Pitti Immagine Uomo 11-14 from the 11th to the 14th of June 2024, at the Fortezza da Basso, Florence Italy. 

The Perujis (Peru + Emojis) are characters inspired by archetypes of Peruvian and Latin American reality, transferred to contemporary Pop Art, using the aesthetics of art toys and design. These characters reinvent military leaders, religious figures such as saints or nuns, soccer and entertainment stars, or emblematic family figures such as the matriarchal “nonna”, to comment on a reality that is not only in Latin America, but common to humanity. According to the artist, “the aesthetics of the toy appeal to our playful side, and lower our defenses. This makes it easier to touch on deeper and more human themes such as the roles that move our external social world, and our internal psychological being” he points out.

The artist will present eleven characters from his collection on a large, medium, and small scale, using traditional materials such as ceramics, and more contemporary materials such as 3D printing. This also includes a proposal for four of the eleven characters, converted into vases of different sizes. The said pieces will be accompanied by three mixed media sculptures of medium size, made of resin, leather, and ceramic as well as selected pieces in the “Pitti Lemon” yellow color chosen for this year’s edition.