Gena Milanesi

Gena Milanesi Biography

b. 1991, Santa Monica, California. Lives & works in Los Angeles.

Gena Milanesi is a self-taught, multimedia artist whose work oscillates between abstract and figurative, each complimentary of the other with feminine overtones. Milanesi’s use of charcoal, graphite, house paint, acrylic, oil paint, and oil stick achieves a distinct energy and bold dialogue between mediums. The final picture is a record of deliberate movements that almost interrogate this very conversation of mixed media. Milanesi’s practice is an instinctive exploration of calculated and spontaneous gestures.

In recent works, Milanesi took inspiration from the ocean, specifically its color palette and shifting states—from still and tranquil to turbulent and back again without warning. Cerulean blues, shades of turquoise and teal, deep navy and black anchor each painting, with staccato bursts of yellows, oranges and pinks animating the surface like reflections on water.

Milanesi’s compositions straddle opposing forces—confident gestures and bold strokes are counterbalanced by delicate marks and organic shapes. She employs an intuitive approach to creating her work, vacillating between abject intentionality and an almost subconscious navigation of color and form. She identifies with a markedly feminine aesthetic sensibility, while veering from aggressive to restrained, maximalist to reductive. Like her predecessors, Milanesi’s work embodies inherent contradictions, illustrating the spectrum of emotions and the internal, existential struggles beholden to the human condition.

Milanesi currently works/lives in Los Angeles and guest lectures at the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.