FastForWarD | Tom Porta

PUNTO SULL’ARTE is pleased to present FastForWarD, a new solo exhibition by TOM PORTA, featuring the acclaimed Milan-based artist’s latest body of work. His new paintings will be on view in the Project Room of the Varese-based gallery. The vernissage will take place on Thursday, June 12, from 5 to 8 PM, at PUNTO SULL’ARTE’s main location in Viale Sant’Antonio 59/61, Varese.

Tom Porta’s tireless artistic research has led him to explore a new and highly relevant theme. The artist uses the grand history of the 20th century as a magnifying lens, with particular focus on the Futurist ideology of the early 1900s. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, founder of Futurism, summed up this vision with the famous phrase: “Daily heroism, love of danger, religion of speed”, celebrating not only physical speed but also the velocity of thought and action.

The Futurists, with their forward-looking vision, embraced technological innovation and mankind’s ability to push beyond its limits. Today, we face a paradox: while the speeds of our era—computation and information—have grown exponentially, individuals appear motionless, overwhelmed by an excess of data they struggle to process or use for personal growth. This contradiction lies at the core of Tom Porta’s reflection, prompting the fundamental question: what role can Art play in all this?
In this context, Art stands as the only true marker of each phase of human culture, the sole narrator capable of telling the story of our times. Artistic expression defines eras, portrays humanity, and remains the invaluable, tangible, and accessible expression of that ever-evolving moment in History.
FastForWarD does not celebrate epic victories or famous pilots, but rather focuses on the “weekend warriors”—enthusiasts who, once technological access became widespread, chose to pursue personal challenges. These individuals, often defeated by physics and fate, embody the innate desire to transcend their limits and, perhaps unknowingly, to challenge those of humanity itself.
Through the rapidity of his brushwork, Tom Porta becomes the narrator of a complex era, where great paradoxes can only be revealed by those able to look to the past as well.

The artist will be present at the public Vernissage, held on Thursday, June 12, from 5 to 8 PM, at PUNTO SULL’ARTE’s main venue in Viale Sant’Antonio 59/61, Varese. The exhibition will remain on view until August 02, 2025.

TOM PORTA was born in Milan in 1970 and has shown a strong aptitude for drawing and the arts since childhood. He earned a Master of Art degree and began a successful career in illustration and photography. Having lived in Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and the United States, he has always infused his life experiences into his painting. In 2003, he left illustration and photography to devote himself fully to painting, quickly gaining a prominent position in the Italian art scene.
Featured in the ranking of the top 100 Italian artists (2007), Porta has been included in prestigious publications such as 500 Years of Italian Painting and the catalogs of Sotheby’s and Christie’s. His work focuses on 20th-century history, using the past as a mirror for the present. He is particularly drawn to the passage of time, depicted through objects and places selected to invite the viewer on a deeply personal journey through memory, both present and future. He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions, including: W.A.R. – We are Restless, the unheard soldier scream at Palazzo Ducale, Genoa (2011); Inferno at the Famedio of the Monumental Cemetery in Milan (2014), marking the centenary of World War I; Icarus at Terminal 1 of Milan Malpensa Airport (2018); and another edition of Inferno at the Pirelli Tower in Milan (2018). At PUNTO SULL’ARTE, he has participated in the historic collective exhibitions <20 15×15/20×20 (2021, 2022, 2023, 2025) and held several successful solo shows, including Gajin, Lo Straniero in 2022 and Tabi: The Journey. Parts I and II in 2023. He lives and works in Milan.