General View

Artist Statement

glazed porcelain, wood, photographic transfer on paper, 2016

I seek simplicity

I slip into Surrealism

I seek I slip I sleep I stumble on oneiric obstacles

I rise I rinse my face I find friends eyes hands stairs whose ends are lost into too many beginnings

I initially explored the idea of metamorphosis, dialogue and contingency mostly by rescuing discarded objects upon which to base my practice, unravelling and informing the (extra)ordinary stories recounted by the signs of past activity those objects bear. Lines, cuts, marks traced on diverse materials have driven me to outline faces, heads, hands of people I know and merge their physical features with those of places and events I see as constitutive of their identity. Eventually, I made myself the raw material for my practice. Instead of tracing the narrative of another character, I turned myself into image, object and (literary) work.

I started scouting out stories from lost objects and ended up finding myself as a lost object to observe,

inform and

fool with

.

Foolstop

photographs printed onto cotton, red thread, mirror, 2016

Foolstop is my work in response to the discourse on tragedy carried out during the MFA Philosophy core module.

It consists of two life-size photographs of my bare torso printed onto cloth, one taken on white background hung facing the white wall, the other, on black background, hanging from the same support facing the viewers as they approach. My head was completely shaved for the making of this work, in order to reach a sort of primal, androgynous simplicity and help visitors identify with it regardless for their gender.

In Foolstop, an almost genderless fool's top welcomes the observers with its dark side, and those who’s exploration of the work stops with the first image become fools because they do not engage with its white counterpart and thus miss the totality of the work. Only by experiencing both the bright and dark side of Foolstop, and making their way around it, can the viewers contemplate the contrast it displays and also the kinship that binds the two images. In fact, the two sides of the work are sewn together with a red thread that is representative of the bond underpinning oppositions, the tension of the dialogue through which the opposite poles sustain one another.

Opposition is crucial to the work, as it is a powerful means of identification through the negation of one’s opposite. Although apparently conflicting, the two sides of Foolstop actually need their counterpart in order to be defined as ‘bright’ and ‘dark’ respectively, as they are only such by comparison to each other. Another contrast is manifest within the figure itself, for the position and colour of the arms are actually the prime signifier of the character's tragic inner conflict.

Artist Book

screen print and photographic transfer on paper, 2016

Foolstop, a Dramatic Reflection on Polarity Unclothed on Cloth

Within this book, I reflect upon the relationship between my practice and some philosophic concepts that have informed Foolstop, my work in response to the MFA Philosophy course on tragedy.

Mindful of the philosophical concern with the accordance of form and content in art and given the dualistic nature of the Foolstop itself, I conceived this reflection on philosophy, tragedy and practice as a theatrical dialogue between its two opposing sides. In the book, insights on Foolstop’s creation and meaning thus appear through a conversation between M, its dark side, and W, the bright one. While echoing my personal view of the piece, the voices of M and W also aim at symbolising the work’s own agency, the fragmentation of the self and the idea of human beings as always, ultimately playing a role, impersonating multiple characters throughout their lives.

Foolstop’s dualism is mirrored in this work’s structure by the neat segregation of text and images, each occupying only one side of the concertina book. Although separate, both the visual and verbal components of the book contribute to the unfolding of the same narrative. Moreover, the pictures themselves are the result of a dialogue with the photographer, Patricia Ramaer, who kindly listened to and recorded my body’s visual utterances.

Surreal Token

plaster umbrella, leather belt, acrylic paint, 2016

Costellazione Casa, detail

Vessels Series

glazed porcelain, 2016

Behind the creation of these jugs lies the idea that people are always performing a role, in society as on a stage, and are usually identified with their function within that environment. More images and information about these ceramic pieces can be found in the gallery section to them dedicated.

In the production process, great was the support offered by Sean Kingsley and Raquel Garzón Calderón, DJCAD technician and student respectively, whose commitment proved me that in some educational environments true dialogue exists, and teaching is not just about professors pouring data into students’ head and expecting them to pour it out during examinations, as tamed jugs.

Psyche

butterfly, egg, 2015

Beeloved

oil paint on wood, insects (he fears), 2015

Index

unglazed porcelain, 2016

I'm Fine

rearranged text from previous exhibition, clothes hanger, belongings, 2016

Amore a tempo determinato

Io non ti cercavo

Tu mi hai trovato

Aun asì

amar non è

sbagliato

Andrea

discarded statue, acrylic paint, ribbon, (my) hair, 2016

Andrea is paradigmatic of my love for lost objects and the potential of the overlooked. In itself, it results from the combination of discarded materials: a damaged statue neglected in my studio’s storage room and my braid, the hair I was left with when I shaved my head for the making of Foolstop. Andrea’s appearance might mislead the viewers into believing that they are beholding a lady, instead of a Greek man. In fact, at a first glance the statue’s traditional chiton might be mistaken for a ‘feminine garment’, and, consequently, the man’s true sexual identity might be overlooked. To exploit the potential ambiguity of Andrea’s aspect, I played with other elements that are usually believed to pertain to the category of the ‘feminine’, namely long hair and cosmetics. In particular, I added my braid to the statue and painted red its lips and nails, enhancing the traces of varnish those areas bore.

With Andrea, I wished to make a statement about gender performativity starting from its very name, which contributes to the work’s ambiguity especially in the Italian language. Etymologically, ‘Andrea’ derives from the Greek ἀνήρ (anēr, genitive andrós), which indicates the man with specific reference to his masculinity. While in English and most other languages it is considered a female name, ‘Andrea’ is used for both male and female in Italian: it has the potential to confuse, and yet its original meaning refers directly to virility.

Andrea is also meant to be Foolstop’s counterpart in the room. The statue’s position mirrors Foolstop’s one, counterbalancing the lightness of the hung piece with its stature. Moreover, the missing arms of the plaster figure are reflected in the lack of legs of the other work.