TOKYO ROOM / IRAK HIGHSCHOOL DAYS 1995–2005
Filippo Chia
December 2024 – February 2025
TOKYO ROOM / IRAK Highschool Days, New York 1995–2005, is an exhibition inspired by the relationship between classical culture and the New York underground scene of the late 90s.
The Tokyo Room collects Filippo Chia’s inspirations and his artistic production: sculptures, books, Neapolitan maiolica tiles, memorabilia, clothing designed by him, drawings and paintings that are specially created for Studioli during 2023/24.
The room is a cabinet that presents the artist’s multifaceted expressions and his sources of inspiration, spanning from urban underground to classical culture.
The exhibition includes an installation of circa 200 photographs taken in New York at the turn of the millennium, that shed light on the city’s downtown scene as one of the original members of the legendary IRAK crew.
The IRAK crew founded by Kunle Martins in the 1990s has developed to be not only a graffiti crew but an art collective. After nearly three decades of activity it has influenced the shape of art, culture and fashion on a global scale.
On the occasion of this show, a limited edition of a miniature Popemobile, a Mercedes G-class used by the Pope for his parades, is graffiti tagged by the artist to celebrate the jubilee year 2025 in the city of Rome.