About
Photo: Alessandro Merlo
CORIANDOLI (noun – plural):
/ co · riàn · do · li /
small cutouts of coloured printed paper thrown in celebration at Carnival or other occasions.
Coriandoli is an artistic collective based in Italy founded in 2022 by Alessandro Merlo. Its scope is to create a space where unconvential art forms and individuals have the possibility to connect, be seen and celebrated through exhibitions, events and performances. Coriandoli’s main efforts are focused on the production and publishing of Coriandoli Magazine, an art book that shapeshifts upon every release that serves as a portfolio for the collective to present their works, scopes and objectives, constantly adding new voices to their colorful choir of underground artists while expanding on the Coriandoli universe with new themes and testimonies from relevant cultural figures who resonate with the collective’s ethos.
Photo: Alessandro Merlo
From 2022 to 2025, the collective has resided at legendary Club Plastic in Milan, where it presented a weekly ongoing performance called Vetrina (Window). Club Plastic – founded in 1980 – became a fixture of milanese alternative nightlife. Since its inception, Plastic stood alone in Milan’s cultural landscape with its unique blend of high-brow and underground entertainment sought after by generations of club goers from Europe and beyond.
During Vetrina, Coriandoli enacted irreverent tableaux vivants where their kaleidoscopic visions came to life in the same confined window, greeting the guests on Saturday nights with new set designs, narratives and playful gags each week while redefining and pushing the boundaries of art, performance and engagement within the nightlife space. Vetrina gave Coriandoli the opportunity to create staged scenarios that entranced and enthralled its audience: a cotton candy parlour, a prison cell, a drive-in car wash, whack-a-mole, live game shows, a giant human timekeeping clock, indoor picnics and so much more!
Photo: Fabrizio Milazzo
On 18-05-2023, Coriandoli created ad-hoc stage performances and accompanying props for M¥SS KETA: 10 ANNI DI MILANO SUSHI & COCA, a concert-event where notoroious singer M¥SS KETA celebrated the 10th anniversary of her career.
For the occasion, Coriandoli built sculptures and objects to use during humurous skits throughout the evening, which they wrote and performed to an audience of over 3000 people.
Coriandoli has since collaborated with M¥SS KETA for the second issue of Coriandoli Magazine and has built a close relationship with the singer, working alongside her on the production of photoshoots, music videos and more.
Photo: Vittorio Schiavo