Simone Nicola Filippo

Education
2019-2021 Master’s degree
Visual Arts, Ecole Cantonal d’Art de Lausanne, ECAL, Lausanne, CH

2016-2019 Bachelor’s degree
Visual Arts, Haute Ecola d’Art et de Design, HEAD, Geneva, CH


Solo Exhibitions
2026 ‘One–Sided’, Studio Mukaiyama, Morges, CH
2025 ‘It All Returns to Nothing, Yomogi Guesthouse, Tokoname, JP
2025 ‘Hearts trained to failure, Lokal-Int, Biel, CH, with César Axel
2025 ‘Tour Bonheur’, Quartier Général, la Chaux-de-Fonds, CH
2025 ‘Slime Harvest’, La Villa, Delémont, CH
2024 ‘A Little Thin Duck’, Coin Coin space, Zurich, CH
2024 ‘Douce Death’, Espace Contact, Neuchâtel, CH
with César Axel
2024 ‘Heroines’, Théâtre du Pommier, Neuchâtel, CH
2023 ‘*HORSE-LOVING*’, Espace Annexe, Biel, CH
2023 ‘S barré ? a’, Galerie Tracanelli, Grenoble, FR
2023 ‘Kali LAB’, Kali Gallery x Paranoia Store, Lucerne, CH
2022 ‘Enrouler, Dérouler’, Mât Artspace, Neuchâtel, CH
with Wassili Widmer

Residencies
2025 ‘ONE-SIDED’, Okazaki, Japan,
with Studio Mukaiyama
2022 ‘Cobertizo residency for artists’, Jilotepec, MX
with support from Hôtel Bonhôte Foundation
2022 ‘Lieu Commun’, Lausanne, CH with César Axel and Tudor Ciurescu
2021 ‘Städtekonferenz Kultur’, Cairo, EG with Alexandra Baumgartner and Marketa Jachimova

Gleb: Your work seems to dissolve the boundaries between imagination and reality. What draws you to this space between the two? Why does it feel important or necessary for your practice?

Simone: Many elements in my paintings are borrowed from fan art culture and fandoms. Being part of these communities already blurs the boundaries between fictional characters and real parasocial relationships. In that sense, the figures I paint operate almost like tulpas or thought-forms: by painting them, I give material presence to an attachment or obsession that would otherwise remain intangible.

Gleb: I'm a big fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion as well. I've often felt that the characters artists choose can reveal something about their personality and even their artistic approach. For example, I've always been drawn to Asuka because of the tension between vulnerability and strength in her character. In your work, you chose Misato, which made me curious. Could you share what attracted you to her and how she became part of this project?

Simone: To the eternal question of who is best girl, my answer is that Misato is my favorite girlfailure. What fascinates me about her is her contradictions. Her relationship with Shinji exists in an uncomfortable space somewhere between a maternal figure and somewhat of a predator; she is both a protector and someone deeply in need of protection herself.

Gleb: When we talk about anime today, the conversation often revolves around the generation that grew up with it in the 1990s. Do you think memory and nostalgia play an important role in your practice, or is anime primarily a language that helps you talk about the present?

Simone: I think nostalgia does play a fundamental role. I’m barely a nineties child, nevertheless I feel attached to a number of series from that period. Evangelion, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop;these classics cannot really be replicated.

At the same time, I don’t see anime only as a vehicle for nostalgia. It is also a visual language through which I can talk about contemporary experiences, especially those shaped by the internet, fandom culture, and parasocial relationships. While people often speak about anime through the lens of a specific generation, I think the culturally abundant anime scene of today will create a rich environment for future artists.