Artworks published on Number 20, page 25 - full page. August 2024
Interview - September 5th , 2024
- What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
I have a background in communication design focused on cultural heritage. Over the years, I've worked primarily in graphic design, both online and offline. Art has always been a constant presence in my life, even before I consciously defined it as such. It was a personal space, essential to me, and though my goal was always to communicate with others, it’s only recently that I felt the need to make it accessible to a broader audience beyond the small, safe circle I initially shared it with.
- What inspires you?
I’m inspired by the idea that even the smallest gestures can have a positive impact on others—like a smile or a few kind words exchanged with a stranger.
I believe in empathy, kindness, and sharing, as a sense of belonging to a society where everyone should contribute to making the world more hospitable, inclusive, and welcoming.
I also believe in the effort and, yes, the utopia that this requires. For me, beauty is a channel through which any message can be conveyed, free from preconceived notions, judgments, and barriers. Doubt is more valuable than certainty, and culture is an antidote to selfishness, a comfort for loneliness and pain, and a way to abstract shared experiences.
- What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
Certain themes naturally recur in my work:
Mistakes - Leftovers: Imperfection and error are profoundly human experiences, and often, it's our interpretation of them that’s flawed. Progress requires trial and error, and consistency isn’t a virtue if it hinders our ability to adapt and grow. Similarly, what remains after a process isn’t necessarily waste; it’s often just a matter of how we perceive it because we are unable to see it differently. A brick on which to build new meaning.
Solitude - Silence - Fragility: These aren’t inherently negative. They can be painful, but they’re also opportunities for introspection and a break from the noise of the world, acts of courage towards ourselves and our emotions. An opportunites to reshape our perspectives . They’re a breath away from harsh words and a world that sometimes couldn't be further from the idea of the place where I would like to live. Necessary angels.
Structures - Presences: objects, installations, and architecture are traces of the people who created or owned them. Sometimes, they stand out for their form, sometimes for the context, or their ability to evoke memories. They are testimonies of a very distant time or of the absolute present. They might be significant for the light that touches them, an unexpected color, or the relationship between spaces. A shadow, a reflection, a detail—something that escapes most people's gaze and may disappear the next moment. They remind that being here, now, with open eyes, is the most important exercise.
My work is formally heterogeneous but conceptually cohesive—paradoxical as that may sound. I believe in preserving complexity, even when breaking things down into smaller parts, and in abstraction as a vital process to engage the viewer. If my idea of beauty has a shape, it would be imperfect and unstable. I aim to create communication spaces that remain open and undefined, allowing others to interact with and integrate their own experiences into the message. I’m not seeking a relationship of contemplation but of exchange. Ideally, I’m waiting for a response. In this light, perfection is a dead end, a closed loop that denies dialogue. Asymmetry, even just in the levels of experience, is a reserve of potential movement. Even when the components are clearly recognizable, or taken from serial elements like magazine pages, there’s always an ambiguity in interpretation. For a long time, I used to thought that the images I created revealed too much about my personality, but in the eyes of others, they tell a different story, reflect something of themselves, or remain indecipherable. It’s comforting, like knowing our thoughts can’t be read, and profoundly liberating. This realization not only allowed me to show what I’ve produced but also to discover its deeper meaning.
- Which artists influence you most?
I can’t say there’s one artist who has influenced me the most, but I’ve definitely drawn inspiration from a variety of artists to refine my vision and expand my understanding. The gentle photography of Luigi Ghirri, the fascinating Polaroids of Paolo Gioli, the graphic precision of Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations, the material abstraction of Alberto Burri. And in a broader sense, the profound lightness of Oscar Wilde, the intertwining of word and image in William Blake’s poems... I’m drawn to seemingly simple solutions that conceal layers of complexity and depth. Even if there’s no direct trace of them in the aesthetic result, they’ve taught me how to approach and translate my visions into art—to silence unnecessary noise. And going from hyper-detailed to abstract is a long journey.
- What is your creative process like?
I work in various mediums—illustrations, photography, mixed media, artist’s books—so my processes differ, but generally, each artwork begins with extensive research, a lot of suggestion, and a massive collection of materials. I gather photographs, different kinds of paper, magazine and book pages, vintage finds, and antique calligraphy samples. Then, I choose a key piece and start building a project around it. It could be a single piece, but more often, it’s a small series. Once I have a concept, I begin creating and refining all the materials I need to complete it, using a variety of techniques, sometimes incorporating new ones as I go, to achieve the result I’ve imagined. Cyanotype to highlight structures, emulsion lift to emphasize fragility, and also gold leaf, acrylics, pencils, markers, or inks to add color, texture, and transparency. The techniques I use are always in service of the idea, not the other way around. Part of my process also involves letting chance and error disrupt my plans, which often leads to new materials and unexpected results. This helps maintain continuity across my works and opens up new creative directions.
- What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving? What does your art mean to you?
I believe an artist’s role, if they have one at all, is to offer a personal perspective, a sharp point of view, a unique interpretation. I don’t like the idea that an artist should be of any use to society... An artist is necessary for responding to an inner need to express, for their ability to connect people through mechanisms of escape, hope, compassion, knowledge... Each of us can find joy, comfort, answers, or new questions in a book, a song, a painting. Artists from every era continuously enter our daily lives, helping us see things differently, broadening our own experiences. Abstraction, analysis, documentation—these are all processes that make emotions and thoughts more understandable and accessible, contributing to a shared, ever-evolving sense of understanding. Of course, there are many ways to approach reality. You can view it politically, grotesquely, critically, benevolently, inclusively, and so on, each with its own formal outcome. You might aim to have a direct impact on contemporary society or not, and each position is legitimate and equally important. As for me, I seek connection and affinity. That’s why my works are deliberately small in size. I want them to be a quiet, daily presence in someone’s life, to have a tangible, material quality that can’t be replaced by a print, a copy, or a digital image, but without ever feeling imposing. Something you draw close to, that you carry with you, or place affectionately among objects that represent you. An invitation to care, to slow down, and to pay attention—first to what’s closest to us, and then to others. In small waves.
- Please tell us about anythings you wish to share.
I’m currently working on an ambitious project —a series of small exhibitions connected to my other great passions: design and Japan. This follows the years-long process of researching, writing, and editing a book on minimal design.