Enrico Muratore Aprosio, also known as EMA, is a multi-talented artist and human rights advocate, who has dedicated his life to promoting and protecting human rights, democracy, and peace across the globe. Born in Sanremo, Italy, in 1972, Enrico grew up in the beautiful coastal village of Grimaldi di Ventimiglia, just a stone's throw away from the French border and the Principality of Monaco.
EMA's interest in art and human rights began during his teenage years, as he explored his creative talents in various mediums, including collage art, painting, cartooning, poetry and songwriting. In 1991, he moved to France to pursue his studies in law and human rights, while continuing to develop his artistic skills.
After completing his studies and his military service, EMA joined the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Angola in 1998 as a Human Rights Officer. This experience marked the beginning of a remarkable career that has taken him to all corners of the world over the past 25 years. He has worked in the fields of human rights, humanitarian affairs, development, democratic governance, and inclusive societies, including for international non-governmental organizations such as Oxfam and Lawyers without Borders.
One of EMA's most significant achievements has been his pro-bono work in the field of peace education. He founded and served as Secretary-General of the Association of Captain Mbaye Diagne for the Culture of Peace, which promotes the legacy of the heroic Senegalese peacekeeper who gave his life rescuing over 1,000 people during the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda. Through his tireless efforts, EMA played a crucial role in getting the UN Security Council to recognize Captain Diagne's bravery and institute the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage. EMA's work as a human rights advocate and development worker has been characterized with numerous high-level collaborations with Nobel Prize laureates, such as Dario Fo and Wangari Maathai, as well as other notable figures like Boubacar Boris Diop, General Romeo Dallaire, and the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein.
EMA is also a talented artist, journalist, and writer. He has produced numerous documentary films, media campaigns, and articles on human rights, conflict, humanitarian affairs, development, and international relations. His creative pursuits have taken on a new life in recent years, as he decided to use the extra time afforded by the Covid-19 pandemic to focus on his artistic passions once again. He has created a stunning body of work, including collages, paintings, and poems, which can be found on his website Home - (enricomuratoreaprosioart.ch) and on his Instagram profile Enrico Muratore Aprosio (@enrico.muratore.aprosio) • Photos et vidéos Instagram.
In 2022, EMA held the Lucid Dreaming show, showcasing his works produced between 2020-22, in Geneva, Monaco, Zug, and Turin, and addressing themes such as mental disease, exploitation, capitalism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, propaganda, imperialism, colonialism, racism, slavery, corruption, inequality, discrimination, gender, love, marriage, divorce, child miseducation, revolt and revolution. The Lucid Dreaming shows have been visited by hundreds of art lovers in several European cities and have received critical acclaim: with a bold, explosively vibrant color palette and clean, deliberate line work, EMA’s works tackle provocative themes with a playful, dynamic eye that inundates the viewer with intricate detail. Contrasting geometric and organic forms to expressive effect, his work combines the delicately figurative with the absurd and the abstract to craft works that are both humorous and enlightening. Dense but not overbearing, each piece stands as a singular work of art while still maintaining a cohesive voice across the series.
In 2023, EMA is launching his new Radioactive Beasts project, inspired from George Orwell’s Animal Farm and focused on the war in Ukraine and the risks of nuclear disaster. Since humans became mad, the animals of the farm are sending, through EMA’s art, silent messages, asking world leaders to take seriously the threat this conflict entails for all forms of life on earth. In dangerously polarized times, the Radioactive Beasts are telling humans to restart talking about ways to build peace. EMA will be exhibiting six of his Radioactive Beasts in Times Square, New York City, at the Exploring the World group exhibition from April 21st to April 27th.
Published by: Steven Hirsch