Bio

Alessandro Ferri aka DADO,
born in 1975 in Bologna (IT), where he now lives and works.

Considered one of the most prominent Italian writers, his work is recognized by the versatility that pushes him to experiment the language of Writing and the poetry of the street on well-defined fields, such as sculpture, painting and design, in breathtakingly harmonious master-pieces.He is a founder of the historic Bolognaise crew, SPA, and in over 20 years of career has established twinning and collaborations with other legendary crews, like the FX from New York. Dado collaborates with writers and artists of international fame, such as Phase 2, Sharp, Loomit, Lokiss, and Cuoghi Corsello.
Dado is actively engaged in the organization of projects and events tied to the world of Writing, both in Italy and overseas. Projects such as Frontier- The Line of Style, where he is an organizer and also one of the speakers at the convention held by MAMbo – Modern Art Museum of Bologna. As well as being a writer and artist, Dado has always been committed to the theoretic aspect of Writing. Addressing it in publications, conferences and seminars promoted by Italian institutions such as the Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna, University of Padova Dept. of History of Contemporary Art, University of Venice IUAV Dept. of Design and Visual Arts and the University of Trento Dept. of Sociology and Social research. He also collaborates with middle schools and high schools around Italy, giving practical and theoretical lessons on Writing and Street Art.
Starting with his graduating thesis from the Academy of Fine Arts, Ferri Alessandro aka Dado (1999). Lo stile secondo Dado (The style according to Dado), he has developed personal research that has recently been put together into a book, Ferri Alessandro aka Dado (2016). La teoria del Writing. La ricerca dello stile (Theory of Writing. Searching for the style). Trento:  Professional Dreamers press, in collaboration with professor Mubi Brighenti A. of the University of Trento Dept. of Sociology and Social Research. Dado thinks of Writing as a rigorous discipline that has to be inserted within a larger debate that incorporates contemporary art.
Dado’s style is profoundly Italian, his approach tends to a rational analysis of the medium; his virtuosity allows you to witness a natural tension found in the introspection of the graphic sign, an aspect that’s traceable to numerous Italian art from the past and from today.
In the years, Dado works along various art critics, like Naldi F. and Musso C. (2014), helping them with publishing the book Frontier the line of the style. Bologna: Damiani press, and Chimento F. (2014), for who he realized a unique bookmark artwork in occasion for the release of the book: Arte Italiana del terzo millennio, Italian Art of the Third Millennia. Milano: Mimesis press.
In 1995, just as he turned 20, Dado was invited by Cuoghi Corsello to participate in their personal exhibition La Famiglia (The Family ), held by the Catellani Gallery in Modena (IT), entrusting him with the realisation of a piece that conceptually interacts with the installation. In 2000, the young writers Dado and Rusty are personally called upon by Cuoghi Corsello to manually realize their piece on one of the walls of the museum at the Gallery of Modern Art of Bologna (IT) in the occasion of the celebration Per i 15 anni del premio Alinovi (For the 15th anniversary of the Alinovi award).
In 2001, Monica Cuoghi curates Dado and Rusty’s exhibition at the Ercolani Studio in Bologna (IT), entitled I Principi della Scrittura (The Princes of Writing), anticipating by a few years the moment in which the art market began to recognize the true value of Writing.
In 2007 Dado participates in the first Writing and Street art exhibition in Italy entitled Street Art, Sweet Art, which takes place in Milan (IT) , curated by Riva A., which officially denotes the very first generation of Italian Writers in a public museum setting.
In 2008 he takes part in the exhibition Scala Mercalli, held in Rome (IT), curated by Marziani G., an exhibition that confirms the emersion of writers and the various languages that diversify urban incursion.
Throughout the years, Dado regularly participates in national and international events that have brought Writing to the level of urban murals, a new reference of the visual-aesthetic space around us.
In the occasion of the exhibition 2010 (AND_ WRITERS) curated by Tong Z., Rhee W., and Battiston E., at the Nanjing Biennale (CHN), Dado is invited to participate as the world’s Italian leading exponent of Writing.
In 2014, the Medieval Museum of Bologna (IT), hosts Dado’s own exhibition: Dado. Sinopie di un writer (Dado. Sinopia of a writer). The exhibit reveals a previously unknown side of writers, the study and the project. In a collection of his preparatory sketches held in different black books, one was able to witness the evolution and progression of Dado’s stylistic journey. The preparatory sketch holds an autonomous statute compare to the successive piece done on a wall through spray paint.
It has a practical and theoretical value, allowing a comprehension of the artist’s intentions. Dado’s sketches and projects are still protagonists in the exhibition Ailanto (Ailanthus altissima) along with artists such as Cuoghi Corsello. Ailanto is exhibited in 2016 at the Poletti Library in Modena (IT), then at the Tineo pavilion of the Palermo Botanical Garden (IT), a nomadic expositive project curated by Chimento F., that reflects upon the survival strategies of alternative artistic languages, born after the official system brought along by the 80s, which were thereafter amply diffused.
In 2017, following the collective exhibition called Lettere (Letters) at Villa Croce Museum of Genova, he is welcomed in the museum’s caveau with an installation amongst the most well-known artists of the 900s. In 2018, Ailanto (Ailanthus altissima) continues its expositive path to the Quintili villa in Rome (IT) with Dado, Cuoghi Corsello and Arienti S.
In the same year, Dado returns among the great of the 900s with a surprise installation thanks to the Minarelli family and their private collection with the exhibition in Bologna called: Dado. Incursione nel 900’ (Dado. An incursion in the 900s.).
2019 begin for Dado with a collective exhibition called Alchemilla together with the artists Cuoghi & Corsello, Losi C., Casini D. and Chung T-Y. , curated by Chimento F. inserted into Bologna Art Fair. Alchemilla is a relevant exhibition in the vision of sculpturing connected to the interpersonal installations of the participating artists.
Dado donates his artwork L’altalena (The Swing) to Seràgnoli foundation for Do Ut Do project, and at the same time, participates at La Morale dei singoli (The moral of the singles) exhibition at Pompei archaeological site. During the Autumn he has called to participate at What Do you Write a collective exhibition by Colab Gallery in Germany. Dado continues developing new ideas, attends at Zauli Museum Artist Residence where he refines his artistic skills by moulding a delicate and fascinating material such as ceramic.
2020 opens with For Art For Love For Life (Do Ut Do Biennal 2018-20 4th ed.), a collective exhibition with Yoko Ono, Mendini F., Tuttofuoco P.
Dado continues his artistic journey, creating new narrations tied to philosophy, theoretical and formal concepts of Writing and poetry of the street, developing new ideas matured by the continuous research and evolution of his own style.