DotPigeon (Italian, b. 1987) is the pseudonym of artist Stefano Fraone, who paints a balaclava-clad rioter set inside opulent mansions hung with blue-chip art by artists such as Damien Hirst, KAWS, Yoshitomo Nara and Jean-Michel Basquiat.,,He started making art in 2017, while working as an advertising art director, as a way to release creative frustration from client work.,
The character, often called the “balaclava guy” or rioter, first appeared in 2020 and represents feelings the artist can't otherwise express publicly.,DotPigeon has said he felt an immediate connection to the character and began wearing a balaclava in his own public appearances as well. The contrast between the character's lavish, art-filled surroundings and his acts of vandalism is intentional, meant to expose the gap between the polished self people show others and the darker feelings they keep hidden.
DotPigeon discovered NFTs through Slime Sunday's first drop in November 2020 and went on to release work through Nifty Gateway, printing his digital paintings as 1/1 works on linen canvas.For Nothing beats a gang, he built an artwork that evolves through levels of vandalism tied to its resale price, rewarding buyers who hold or raise the price and rolling back the artwork's condition if it is resold for less. The piece includes three balaclava figures rather than one, an intentional choice meant to make reaching its final level easier for a group of collectors acting together, such as a DAO.
DotPigeon has shown at Plan X Gallery in Milan and Galerie Nagel Draxler in Cologne, including the 2021 group exhibition “Breadcrumbs: Art in the Age of NFTism”, curated by Kenny Schachter alongside artists such as Osinachi, Kevin Abosch, Anna Ridler and Rhea Myers.,His work has also been included in an online sale at Christie's titled “Trespassing”, curated by Ronnie K. Pirovino.,He has held a solo show in Los Angeles at Lorin Gallery, where some attendees came wearing ski masks.
