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| Concrete Facade IV |
"Concrete Facade IV, the fourth installment in the series, continues this investigation with remarkable intensity. Measuring 40 x 36 inches, the work presents a figure that feels both monumental and vulnerable, caught in a moment of transformation that resists resolution. Here, Macri’s use of architectural elements becomes particularly pronounced. The figure does not simply stand before a structure. It appears to be emerging from it, or perhaps dissolving into it. The boundaries between body and facade are deliberately ambiguous, creating a sense of unease that is both compelling and thought-provoking."
~ Showcase My Art (Adamo Macri: Where Identity Becomes Architecture)
"Has the human merged with the eagle or vice versa? Or, is Macri making a profound statement about the militarization of the masculine and the instinctive, predatory nature of the male? The portrait offers little suggestion of alternative ways of being. The symbolic eagle with victorious, outspread wings is framed multiple times on the wall behind the head, further strengthening the relationship between human and architecture, as well as the inherent predatory nature of the male specifically, or humanity generally. There is also something overly-elaborate about this image, verging on satire, as if Macri is poking fun at the arrogance and pretentions of the mighty warrior."
~ Kenneth Radu (The Monster in Adamo Macri’s Art)
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| Concrete Facade III |
"There is indeed something disquieting about the grotesque face of Concrete Facade III, with its resemblance to the Jahrfish series. With the ridged face and protruding mouth, the expression could well express mental disarray, a discombobulation as if the creature has been shocked out of its natural habitat and forced to breathe in a noxious atmosphere. The colouring is more suggestive of water than of earth or cement. Given Macri’s fascinating method of intermingling materials, myths and genders, one may be forgiven for thinking the head of Concrete III has been residing within the head of Facade I all along like an unconscious mockery of martial pretensions and masculine pomposity."
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| Concrete Facade II |
Concrete Facade II presents a commanding stone sculpture of a bearded figure with a braided hair detail, exuding strength and emotion. The intricate architectural backdrop, adorned with statues of armoured guardians, enhances the piece’s grandeur and historical depth. This artwork conveys a powerful narrative through its bold form and detailed craftsmanship. Concrete Facade III features a striking marble bust with an unconventional, almost surreal expression that challenges traditional sculpture norms. The intricate backdrop of geometric and floral reliefs contrasts with the figure’s raw, distorted features, creating a dynamic tension between refinement and chaos. This piece conveys a bold statement on identity and transformation.
"Look at how the artist has altered the face in Concrete Facade II, the outward face, with wide open mouth as if howling, the so-called facade, if you will. We see only the facade, the exterior consequence of hidden rage, turmoil, fear, anxiety. One of the few Macri portraits where emotion is vividly expressed in the face, is this architecture humanized or a man slowly turning to stone, as if he had looked upon Medusa and suffered the consequences?"
~ Kenneth Radu (The Monster in Adamo Macri’s Art)
Concrete Facade is the first completed in a planned series of artworks. The process began with an idea for a digital artwork driven by architecture, specifically inspired by Art Deco buildings of the 1920s. Through extensive research and image collection, various architectural elements were selected, modified, and deconstructed, then reassembled into an abstract collage that blended both real sourced fragments and newly redesigned components. This collage served as a constructed backdrop for a central character statue in the Art Deco style. To realize the character, Macri defined its detailed appearance and captured a reference photograph of himself in a similar pose. Once the collage was finalized, it became the reference guide for creating a digital rendering, built piece by piece like a puzzle until the entire composition came together as a cohesive, surreal digital painting. This approach differs from Macri’s usual practice, in which sculptural objects are physically created and then photographed; here, the work originates from a constructed collage of fragmented images that is transformed into a complete digital artwork.
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| Concrete Facade |
Concrete Facade is the first completed in a planned series of artworks. The process began with an idea for a digital artwork driven by architecture, specifically inspired by Art Deco buildings of the 1920s. Through extensive research and image collection, various architectural elements were selected, modified, and deconstructed, then reassembled into an abstract collage that blended both real sourced fragments and newly redesigned components. This collage served as a constructed backdrop for a central character statue in the Art Deco style. To realize the character, Macri defined its detailed appearance and captured a reference photograph of himself in a similar pose. Once the collage was finalized, it became the reference guide for creating a digital rendering, built piece by piece like a puzzle until the entire composition came together as a cohesive, surreal digital painting. This approach differs from Macri’s usual practice, in which sculptural objects are physically created and then photographed; here, the work originates from a constructed collage of fragmented images that is transformed into a complete digital artwork.
Macri's art, termed somatic structuralism, presents an architectural perspective where the human body and space intertwine. His works reinterpret styles like Brutalism through an anatomical lens, positioning each portrait as a fragment of a larger architectural narrative—part chapel, part laboratory, part submerged ruin. Masks serve as façades, coral forms act as load-bearing grids, and bodies emerge as temporary wings of shifting structures. Instead of merely decorating, his pieces create distinct environments: Brutalist reliquaries blended with organic growth, parametric baroque designs turning emotions into ornament, and marine-inspired forms reminiscent of submerged city skeletons. For collectors, these artworks embody a spatial logic, influencing how surrounding spaces are perceived and experienced. Faces become load-bearing surfaces, reflecting a fractured identity akin to concrete distressed by rusting rebar. The essence of Brutalism manifests in exposed, monolithic forms that evoke a sense of the sacred yet unsettling, reminiscent of postwar concrete churches and weathered structures. Macri's pieces suggest architectural concepts that challenge traditional aesthetics, expressing structural failures and emotional depths through a unique interplay between art and architecture.
"Based upon my emotional responses to Macri’s art, I am also taken aback by its sepulchral coloration and the appearance of concrete, and the rigidity of its lines, even those that supposedly depict movement. I see a statue guarding a mausoleum entrance, indicating who is entombed: hence, the title Concrete Facade. Yes, the title signals the strong architectural elements of the piece. Macri is especially adept at combining aspects of sculpture, painting, digital photography and architecture, as commonly noted. Although we notice the brutalist aesthetic in the construction of this series, I am inclined to regard it as a dramatization of architecture and sculpture as outward displays of human narcissism and vainglory."
Concrete Facade Series (2026)
Digital Art: Chromogenic C-print
102 x 91 cm
Digital Art: Chromogenic C-print
102 x 91 cm
Concrete Facade
Concrete Facade II
Concrete Facade IV
