The Cool Couple (often shortened TCC) is an artist duo based in Milan, Italy, and established in late 2012 by Niccolò Benetton (1986) and Simone Santilli (1987). They talk about images and their agency through a multi-disciplinary approach. TCC also love teaching, because it’s good karma to share. They are lecturers at NABA Milan and Course Leaders of the BA in Visual Arts at MADE Program, Syracuse.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Solo exhibitions
2020
- Let’s Not Be Honest, NEUTRO, Reggio Emilia, curated by Andrea da Villa and Matteo Messori;
2019
- Emozioni Mondiali, MLZ Art Dep, Trieste, curated by Francesca Lazzarini;
2018
- Time Travel Stuff, Fujifilm Faculty, Unseen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Turbulence, curated by Paola Tognon and Contemporary Locus, Monastero del Carmine, Bergamo, Italy;
2017
- Karma Fails – Meditation is Visualization, curated by Marta Bianchi and Iolanda Ratti, Museo del Novecento, Milan, Italy;
2015
- Premio Graziadei, curated by Alessandro Dandini de Sylva, Fotografia Festival Internazionale di Roma, MACRO, Rome, Italy;
- Discovery Award, curated by Francesco Zanot, Les Rencontres des Arles, Arles, France.
Group exhibitions (selection)
2023
- La Via della Seta. Arte e Artisti contemporanei dall’Italia, curated by Angela Tecce e IGAV, Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute di Chongqing (China), Art Museum of Xi’an (China);
- Sottopalco, curated by Giulia Gelmini, Sottopalco, Milano;
2022
- First Place in the Table?, curated by Anna Ciabach, Stanislaw Ruksza, TRAFO Center For Contemporary Art, Szczecin, Poland;
- Da – A. Gli artisti della collezione Bevilacqua la Masa 1998 – 2018, curated by di Stefano Coletto, Galleria di Piazza San Marco, Venezia;
2021
- Porta Portese, curated by Gaia Bobò, SpazioMensa, Rome, Italy;
- Photo Open Up, curated by Carlo Sala, Musei Civici Agli Eremitani, Padova, Italy;
- Spazio Leonardo loves A-Collection, curated by Chiara Casarin, Spazio Leonardo, Milan, Italy;
- Subterranean Virtualscapes, curated by Virginia Bianchi, Virginia Bianchi Gallery, Bologna, Italy;
- Every Artist, curated by Aaron Lister, City Gallery Wellington, New Zealand;
- Chi Non Salta. Calcio, cultura, identità, curated by Matteo Balduzzi, MuFoCo, Cinisello Balsamo, Italy;
- The Families of Man, curated by Elio Grazioli and Walter Guadagnini, Museo Archeologico Regionale, Aosta, Italy;
- Italian Twist, curated by Elisa Carollo and Mattia Solari, Fondazione Imago Mundi, Treviso, Italy;
2020
- Abnormal, curated by Thee Whistler, Tbilisi Biennal, Tbilisi, Georgia;
- La Via della Seta. Arte e Artisti contemporanei dall’Italia, curated by Angela Tecce and IGAV, Beijing – Millennium Art Museum (China), Xi’An – Xi’an Art Museum (China), Yerevan – Hay Art Gallery (Armenia), Tbilisi – Tbilisi History Museum (Georgia), Ankara – Cermodern Museum (Turkey), Sofia – National Art Gallery (Bulgaria), Chisinau – National Art Museum (Moldavia);
2019
- Gallery.Delivery Milan, curated by Silvio Lorusso, Green Cube Gallery, Milan, Italy;
- Photo Open-Up, Festival Internazionale di Fotografia a Padova, curated by Carlo Sala, Cattedrale Ex-Macello, Padova, Italy;
- Talking About Images, curated by Francesca Lazzarini and Marta Rovetta, Škuc Gallery, Lubiana, Slovenia;
- Fotopub Repete, curated by Ziva Kleindeist, Novo Mesto, Slovenia;
- Autostrada Biennale, curated by Giacinto di Pietrantonio, Prizren, Kosovo;
- Art Stays Festival – Future, curated by Carlo Sala, Ptuj, Slovenia;
- Karma Fails, Simposio, curated by NONE Collective, Ex-Eni Village, Borca di Cadore (BL), Italy;
- Everyday Life, curated by Carlo Sala and Gabriele Lorenzoni, Galleria Civica di Trento;
- Biennolo, Biennale d’arte contemporanea di Milano, curated by Art City Lab and Matteo Bergamini, Milan;
- Linz FMR. Art in digital contexts and public spaces, curated by qujOchÖ, servus.at, the Atelierhaus Salzamt, the Department of Cultural Studies of the University of Art and Design Linz and the STURM UND DRANG GALERIE, LENTOS Freiraum, Linz, Austria;
2018
- Every Breath You Take, curated by Alberta Romano, Galleria Umberto di Marino, Naples, Italy;
- RE.USE, scarti, oggetti, ecologia nell’arte contemporanea, curated by Valerio Dehò, TRA Treviso Ricerca Arte, Treviso, Italy;
- DIGITALIVE – MèTA, ROMAEUROPA Festival 2018, curated by Federica Patti, Mattatoio Testaccio la Pelanda, Rome, Italy;
- That’s IT! Sull’ultima generazione di artisti in Italia e a un metro e ottanta dal confine, curated by Lorenzo Balbi, MAMbo, Bologna, Italy;
- Helicotrema – Recorded Audio Festival, curated by Blauer Hase, MAREA, Ravenna, Italy;
- Talking About Images, curated by Marta Rovetta and Francesca Lazzarini, Galerija Kortil, Rijeka, Croatia; Kunsthalle, Graz, Austria; MLZ Art Dep, Trieste;
- STATI DI TENSIONE, curated by Carlo Sala, MuFoCo, Cinisello Balsamo (MI), Italy;
2017
- Alchimie 2.0, curated by Stefano Coletto, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, Italy;
- Teatrum Botanicum, Emerging Talents, curated by Giulia Mengozzi, PAV, Turin, Italy;
- ANTOLOGIA, curated by Alessandro Carrer, Sergio Giusti and Paola Paleari, METRONOM, Modena, Italy;
- Short Circuit #03, OK Corral, curated by Aly Grimes, Copenhagen, Denmark;
- Dadaclub.online: the exhibition, curated by Link Art Center, Spazio Contemporanea, Brescia, Italy;
- POIUYT. Punto Zero. Critical practices in Italian contemporary photography, curated by Francesca Lazzarini and Gaia Tedone, MLZ Art Dep, Trieste, Italy;
- Short Circuit #02, curated by Aly Grimes, Palazzo Malipiero, Venice, Italy;
2016
- Premio Graziadei, curated by Alessandro Dandini de Sylva, FOTOGRAFIA. Festival Internazionale di Roma, MACRO, Rome, Italy;
- Short Circuit #01, curated by Aly Grimes, Stryx, Birmingham, Great Britain;
- Good night, and good luck, curated by the students of the International summer class in Curatorial Studies, A plus A gallery, Venice, Italy;
- On new Italian Photography, curated by FANTOM, Viasaterna, Milan, Italy;
- TOAST, curated by Josseline Black and Vincenzo Estremo, Atelier Salzamt, Linz, Austria;
- La disfatta dell’immagine, curated by Carlo Sala, TRA Treviso Ricerca Arte, Treviso, Italy.
2015
- I borsisti della 98ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti, curated by Stefano Coletto Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Venice, Italy;
- Chaotic Passion, curated by Anna Lovecchio and CHAN, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Villa Croce, Genova, Italy;
- Unseen festival, curated by Unseen Photography Fair, Barber, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Progetto Nord-Est, F4 Un’idea di fotografia, curated by Carlo Sala, Treviso, Italy;
- 6PM Your Local Time, curated by Domenico Quaranta, Fabio Paris and Matteo Cremonesi, Link Art Center, Brescia, Italy;
- Fotopub festival, curated by Eva Pavlič Seifert, Novo Mesto, Slovenia;
- Rob Pruitt’s Flea Market in Venice, curated by the students of AplusA Course in Curatorial Studies, A plus A Gallery, Venice, Italy;
- Italia Happening, curated by Tobia de Marco, Salon für Kunstbuch, Wien, Austria;
- Circulation(s), festival de la jeune photographie européenne, curated by Fetart, Centquatre, Paris, France.
2014
- Urban Symphonies, curated by Exposed (Giuseppe Fanizza, Giulia Ticozzi, Fatima Bianchi and Fabrizio Vatieri), Careof, Milan, Italy;
- 98ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti, curated by Stefano Coletto, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, Italy;
- Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary photography, curated by Carlo Sala, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo (TV), Italy;
- Kassel Photobook Dummy Award, Athens, Cologne,Dublin, Madrid, Milan, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Derby;
- DIY 2.0, A photographic Issue, curated by Dustin Thierry, Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium;
- Leading personality disease, curated by Francesca Lazzarini, MLZ Art Dep, Trieste, Italy;
- Twist in the tail, curated by Carlo Sala, METRONOM, Modena, Italy.
2013
- Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, curated by Carlo Sala, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo(TV), Italy;
- Unstable territory. Borders and identity in contemporary art, curated by Walter Guadagnini and Franziska Nori, CCC Strozzina, Florence, Italy.
SCREENINGS
2023
- The Cute and the Useful, Festival do Cinema Italiano, Cinema Sao Jorge, Lisbon, curated by Istituto di Cultura Italiana di Lisbona;
2022
- The Cute and the Useful, MART, Trento, curated by Careof and Martina Melilli;
2021
- Flyin’ High, Milan Machinima Festival, curated by Matteo Bittanti, online streaming;
2020
- Emozioni Mondiali, in Abnormal Stories, Tbilisi Architecture Biennial, curated by Abnormal, online streaming;
2018
- The Third Chimpanzee, Treviso 2012, in The Other Side of the Moon, curated by Eva Comuzzi and Orietta Masin, Galleria Bertoni, Cervignano del Friuli, Italy;
2017
- The Fuffy Wipe Case, episode II. Chemtrails, in The Book is on the Screen, curated by Valeria Raho, SPRINT, O’, Milan, Italy;
- The Third Chimpanzee, Vajont 2014, curated by Andrea Bruciati, Biennale del cortometraggio di Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy;
2015
- The Third Chimpanzee, Treviso 2012, Washing by Watching, curated by Valeria Raho, Jefferson Laundry, Lecce, Italy;
- The Third Chimpanzee, Treviso 2012, FIF, International Belo Horizonte Photography Festival, curated by Eduardo de Jesus, Patrícia Azevedo, Bruno Vilela, Guilherme Cunha, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
2014
- The Third Chimpanzee, Treviso 2012, CulT – Salone della Cultura, curated by Saul Marcadent, Venice, Italy;
- The Fuffy Wipe Case, episode II. Chemtrails (homage to Beck), CulT – Salone della Cultura, curated by Saul Marcadent, Venice, Italy;
- The Third Chimpanzee, Bari 2014, curated by Angela Madesani, MIC, Milan, Italy;
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2020
- Winner, Italian Council, 8th Edition, MIBACT, Rome, Italy;
- Winner, Artevisione, Careof and Sky Arte, Milan, Italy;
- Winner, Bonotto Award, Artefiera and Fondazione Bonotto, Bologna, Italy;
2019
- Winner, Premio Johannesburg, IIC Pretoria and MIBAC, Johannesburg, South Africa;
2017
- Winner, Artverona Under 40 Photography Prize, Artverona, Verona, Italy;
- Winner, Euromobil Under 30 Prize, Artefiera, Bologna, Italy;
2016
- Selected Artist, Level 0, Museo del Novecento, Milan, Italy;
- Nctm e l’arte, scholarship, Milan, Italy;
- Shortlist, Artevisione prize, CareOf, Sky Arte, Milan, Italy;
2015
- Shortlist, Premio Icona, Artverona, Verona, Italy;
- First prize, Premio Graziadei, Fotografia Festival Internazionale di Roma, Rome, Italy;
- Nomination, Discovery Award, Les Rencontres des Arles, Arles, France;
2014
- First prize, 98ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, Italy;
- First prize, Premio Francesco Fabbri per le arti contemporanee, contemporary photography section, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo (TV), Italy;
- Shortlist, Kassel Dummy Award, Kassel, Germany;
2013
- Shortlist, Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo (TV), Italy;
RESIDENCIES AND STUDY PROGRAMMES
2019
- Premio Johannesburg, August House, Johannesburg, South Africa; Nirox Foundation, South Africa;
- Digital residency, curated by Sink, http://lordsofchaos.sink.sexy/;
2018
- Workshop, Q-Rated, Ricerche Sensibili, organized by La Quadriennale di Roma, tutors: Zach Blas, Rana Hamadeh, Robert Leckie, Lecce, Italy;
- Artist in residence programme, MADE Program, Syracuse, Italy;
2017
- Artist in residence programme, Kūldiga Artist Residency, Kūldiga, Latvia;
- Artist in residence programme, Nirox Foundation, Nirox Park, Johannesburg, South Africa;
2016
- Artist in residence programme, Careof, Milan, Italy;
2015
- Artist in residence programme, tutor: Lara Favaretto, Fondazione Spinola Banna per l’Arte, Banna, Turin, Italy;
- Plat(t)form program, Fotomuseum, Winterthur, Switzerland;
2014
- Artist in residence programme, Urban Symphonies, Exposed Project, DOCVA, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, Italy;
PUBLICATIONS
Monographs
- The Cute and the Useful, NERO Editions, 2023
- The Fuffy Wipe Case I. A handful of dust, self published, 2013.
Book Publications
- I Quaderni della Farnesina, 2. Arte e tecnologia del terzo millennio. Scenari e protagonisti, a cura di Cesare Biagini Selvaggi e Valentino Catricalà, Electa 2020;
- Metafotografia, Sara Benaglia, Mauro Zanchi editors, Skinnerboox, Jesi, September 2019;
- 222 Artisti emergenti su cui investire, Exibart, Rome, September 2017;
- Generazione Critica #2, Danilo Montanari Editore, Ravenna, Italy, April 2015;
Catalogues
- Stati di Tensione, Silvana Editoriale, September 2021;
- Contemporary Locus, Quodlibet, October 2020;
- Everyday Life, MART, September 2019;
- Every Breath You Take, Galleria Umberto di Marino, Naples, February 2019;
- RE.USE, scarti, oggetti, ecologia nell’arte contemporanea, TRA Treviso Ricerca Arte, Treviso, October 2018;
- That’s IT! Sull’ultima generazione di artisti in Italia e a un metro e ottanta dal confine, MAMbo, Bologna, June 2018;
- FIF, International Belo Horizonte Photography Festival, Belo Horizonte, May 2018;
- Alchimie 2.0, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, October 2017;
- 2016 – On new Italian photography, FANTOM Editions, Milan, April 2017;
- Dadaclub.online: the exhibition, LINK Art Center, Brescia, March 2017;
- Fotografia Festival Internazionale di Roma, Quodlibet, Roma, October 2016;
- Sublimina, LUISS, Rome, October 2016;
- La disfatta dell’immagine, TRA, Treviso, March 2016;
- VX30 Chaotic Passion, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Villa Croce, Genoa, April 2016;
- I Borsisti della 98ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, January 2016;
- Fotografia Festival Internazionale di Roma, Quodlibet, Roma, October 2015;
- Fotopub, Fotopub festival, Slovenia, september 2015;
- Les Rencontres des Arles, Les Rencontres des Arles, Arles, France, July 2015;
- Away, Archive Books, Berlin, April 2015;
- 6PM Your Local Time, Link Art Center, Brescia, July 2015;
- Circulation(s), Festival de la jeune Photographie Européenne, Fetart, Paris, January 2015;
- 98ma Collettiva Giovani Artisti, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice, December 2014;
- Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary photography, Fondazione Francesco Fabbri, Treviso, November 2014;
- Leading personality disease, Campanotto editore, Trieste, May 2014;
- Premio Francesco Fabbri for contemporary art, Fondazione Fabbri, Treviso, November 2013;
- Unstable territory. Borders and identity in contemporary art, Mandragora, Florence, October 2013;
- Combat Prize, Sillabe, Livorno, September 2013.
COLLECTIONS
Collezione Campiani, Collezione Maccaferri, Euromobil, Fondazione Francesco Fabbri, Graziadei Studio Legale, Nirox Foundation, Les Rencontres des Arles, Essecollection.