Sebastiano Mauri: art, identity and queer spirituality

Sebastiano Mauri is an Italo-Argentine writer, director and visual artist whose work explores cultural diversity, sexual identity and dissident spirituality. Through his novels, films and visual installations, he offers an artistic vision that is critical, personal and free.

Origins and artistic training across two continents

Sebastiano Mauri was born in Milan in 1972 into a family connected to the editorial and artistic world. His father, Umberto Mauri, played a prominent role in the Italian publishing industry. His mother, of Argentine descent, passed on an emotional and cultural connection to South America. From an early age, he was drawn to art, literature and cinema. He studied Fine Arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he shaped a creative approach centered on identity.

Literary career and a unique narrative world

His literary debut came with Goditi il problema, published in 2012, a novel full of humor and irony that tells the story of a young gay man searching for himself. In 2015, he released Il giorno più felice della mia vita, addressing the desire to build a family as a homosexual man. He later published La nuova terra, blending satire, politics and religion in an allegorical tale. His books have been translated and discussed in international literary circles.

Queer cinema with a theatrical aesthetic

In 2016, Mauri directed Favola, a film starring Filippo Timi that draws from theater and surrealism to portray a housewife trapped in an artificial reality. The film, based on a stage play, was praised for its visual and symbolic language. It was screened at various LGBTQ+ film festivals and reaffirmed his distinctive aesthetic: a mix of color, nostalgia, social satire and liberated identity construction.

Visual art with symbols of faith and rupture

Beyond writing and filmmaking, Sebastiano Mauri is a visual artist. He has exhibited in Milan, Rome and Buenos Aires. His pieces blend religious imagery, recycled materials and Latin American references. One of his most noted exhibitions was Miracoli e Rivoluzioni, held at the Triennale di Milano. In it, he presented a visual critique of institutionalized religion and advocated for spirituality as a personal act, free from dogma.

El Hilo Foundation and queer spirituality

Together with his partner, activist Santiago Varela, he founded the organization El Hilo. The initiative operates at the intersection of art, spirituality and human rights, focusing on the LGBTQ+ community and Indigenous peoples. The foundation promotes reflective spaces where religious and political dimensions coexist. Through workshops, publications and gatherings, it seeks to reframe the sacred from a contemporary and inclusive perspective.

Public stance on the Church and public debate

In 2021, Mauri was at the center of a media controversy following interviews in which he criticized the Catholic Church’s stance on family and gender. Though attacked by conservative voices, he defended his views in outlets like La Repubblica and Página/12. He called for spirituality without patriarchal hierarchies. His statements were supported by intellectuals and artists who saw them as part of a necessary, disruptive discourse.

Recognition and presence in cultural circles

His work has been acknowledged in both Europe and Latin America. He received the Flaiano Prize for his contribution to contemporary Italian literature and was invited to events like the Buenos Aires International Literature Festival. His novels are studied in Italian and Argentine universities. In the visual arts field, he has collaborated with institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rosario and PAC Milano on projects exploring identity.

Commitment to diversity and the power of language

Diversity is a constant theme in his work: of languages, lifestyles and narratives. His characters defy traditional molds, and his stories break linear structures to explore emotional, symbolic and political dimensions. Through fiction, he creates a space of freedom where roles, stereotypes and systems of power are questioned. In interviews, he often states that art is a form of prayer, of dissent and of healing.

Recent projects and future direction

Today, Sebastiano divides his time between Rome and Buenos Aires. He is developing a new feature film with autobiographical elements and preparing a visual installation for an Argentine art museum. He is also working on an essay on queer spirituality that will combine personal texts and interviews. His artistic journey continues to revolve around memory, desire and the possibility of building new ways of inhabiting the world without labels.