Article by Alice Trapletti

What does it mean, today, to decide to fully put yourself on the line? For Davide Vavalà (Bologna, 2003), the answer lies not in words, but in the strength of his strokes. Arriving at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan with his first solo exhibition “In betweenness | Aesthetics of the Unfinished“, produced and curated by the talent management and PR agency Dontcallmestudio, in these early weeks of spring, Davide is not simply displaying canvases: he is staging a generational manifesto on the need to never be “finished,” asserting the right to imperfection in a world obsessed with performance.

The exhibition, held on Saturday April 11 and Sunday April 12, was not just a static display but a true space of cross-contamination. The artist turned the event into a participatory experience, narrowing the distance with the audience: between conversations, Davide customized visitors’ garments live and signed event posters with personal dedications in his unmistakable style.

Seeing a twenty-three-year-old artist occupy such an important space with this level of awareness is a sign of rupture. It proves that expressive urgency, when authentic, does not need permission—only space to explode.

Saint: the alter ego of freedom 

In Davide’s works, Saint appears almost obsessively, a small alter ego that is much more than a graphic element. It is the guardian of a freedom that the artist had to build for himself.

“Saint represents my most extroverted side, the one I struggle to show. It is an extension of myself that does what I have never had the courage to do,” Davide explains.

Initially confined within his own patterns, Davide found in Saint the means to give voice to his rebellious side. It embodies the urge to act where shyness or personal blocks sometimes take over.

The push of “No”: the fuel of success

There is something deeply poetic in the way Davide talks about the lack of support from those close to him. There is no resentment, but the awareness that sometimes obstacles are the best springboard.

“I didn’t have support from my family. They have a somewhat retro vision; they dreamed of a career as a doctor or lawyer for me. But that lack of support became fuel: I’m the kind of person who, if you tell me not to do something, will work twice as hard to achieve it.”

This hunger for expression comes from the need to prove that art is a real path, not an unattainable dream. A determination grounded in an almost spiritual vision of success.

“I believe that every idea that forms in your mind is achievable. Thinking positive things brings positive things—it’s all energy. The idea of having an exhibition at Fabbrica del Vapore was always there; I knew it would happen, I just didn’t know when.”

A calling born as self-defense

While his peers were searching for their path among countless stimuli, Davide has always had only painting. An exclusive passion born as a response to childhood discomfort, transforming the weight of bullying into creative energy.

“Art has always been the answer for me; I suffered from bullying as a child and instead of responding to hate with hate, I would go home and draw. It was my escape, a way to express myself and not explode.”

The aesthetics of the Unfinished

The heart of the exhibition is the concept of unfinishedness, a provocation the artist directs at contemporary society. “In a society where we are asked to always perform, I believe unfinishedness is a fundamental condition of being human. Constantly giving without receiving makes you feel behind where you’re supposed to be,” says Davide Vavalà.

And yet, it is precisely in this “unfinished” state that the audience finds a deep connection. Davide shares how his art has become a support for those who suffer, mentioning a girl who found comfort in his paintings during a difficult hospitalization. Following the idea of Keith Haring of art for everyone, he firmly believes that art should not be a luxury, but a pleasure accessible to all.

Davide Vavalà has not just exhibited paintings—he has shown how one can transform their silence into a chromatic scream capable of embracing anyone who feels, like him, magnificently unfinished.