What inspired you to create works of art and to become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
Creation is for me, above all, a mental and physical necessity. Any creative will tell you that to create is to live. Creation is an outlet, a way out. To produce works is to find a support, a medium to empty oneself of one's mental projections.
- I don't think I became an artist, I think with some hindsight that I was born an artist. I've always had a shifted view of things, had trouble getting in line. Realizing myself as an artist was visceral.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
I was artistic director in the major Parisian design agencies for 20 years. I loved it, but I had this growing need to create more personal and unique things.
- I define myself more as a visual artist than a painter. I have an appetite for materials and textures. The matte and the shiny.
I admit that to stretched canvases I much prefer wood, MDF, kraft and metal.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
The aspects that differentiate me from other artists might be the use of metal construction elements for the realization of my wall sculptures, the use of MDF supports for my paintings and a singular association of textures and graphics.
The regressive character of my works can also challenge.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Objectively, everything inspires me, I am a sponge, I absorb and reinterpret things. Especially at night !
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
My creative adventure is part of both REGRESSIVE ART and UpCycling.
An artistic approach that draws on our childhood memories and objects. A bygone world, but so loved. A world of carelessness and inventiveness without complexes.
REGRESSIVE ART consists of the use of objects and toys that have become obsolete, in graphic and plastic creations that will flatter our Peter Pan souls.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
I don't think I have a clear creative process for my works.
I'm pretty impulsive. I guess ideas mature in my mind and come out spontaneously. Of course, I have phases of technical exploration where I experiment with supports and materials. I dig creative avenues to achieve unexpected things, and there… I digress.
Exhibitions and artistic encounters can probably influence me.
Do you use a particular working technique? if so, can you explain it?
I have several axes of creation and therefore several working techniques.
-When making my metal sculptures I use metal construction game plates, which I sand, paint and patina before assembling them in a wooden formwork.
-For my paintings, I invariably use an MDF support, as it is a sturdy and beautiful support in nature. I paint it, brush it, scrape it or dig it. I mainly use acrylic and vinyl inks.
-My paintings objects are made from pieces of wooden planks that I cut, sculpt, engraved, painted and assembled in formwork.
-My "metalumigraphies" are photo frames of my creations in progress that I print on a brushed aluminum plate. I like to capture these workshop snapshots, which are always printed in a single copy.
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
Curiously, I think I have innovated by using building blocks for the realization of my wall sculptures.
In my opinion, I think I'm the only one to use this medium in this way and on this scale.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?
My formats are still relatively small, I aspire to produce works of substantial size.
Where do you produce your works? At home, in a shared workshop or in your own workshop? And in this space, how do you organize your creative work?
I have a comfortable studio space at home in which I make my works.
But given the needs and demands, the creation of a larger workshop will be essential.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
The exhibitions and in particular my encounters with collectors take me on a journey. Especially for large custom-made installations.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
The evolution of my career seems to be accelerating, but I'm counting on meeting good people.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
My latest artistic production is “Gustave le Girafon”, a regressive sculpture made with Meccano game elements. A zoomorphic sculpture of matte black metal and 150cm high.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
With the Covid episode, physical exposures have become rarer. Communication had to evolve. So the last two years have been punctuated by collective exhibitions in the Marais, temporary exhibitions and online galleries.
My collectors also followed and helped me!
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?
I think that if I had been able to create a famous work in the history of Art, I would choose one of Pierre Soulages' "Black Light" works.
For his innovation, his bias, and work with the material.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?
If I could invite a famous artist to dinner, I would opt for one of the illustrious unknown artists who painted the frescoes in the cave of Lascaux. I will propose to him to paint on my walls the things of our time, around a good pizza.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
