What inspired you to create works of art and to become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
What I took for a game when I was a child by mimicking my architect-sculptor grandfather and my painter uncle ended up becoming a reason for living.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
Intimidated by the technique of drawing, as a teenager I started with photography before daring to embark on painting. I first worked in oil in an impressionist style. This technique once acquired I realized that I will never equal my Masters, I then tried to offer a more personal work by playing with other techniques and I ended up using everything that can allow me to express myself in any medium. The subject of my current work comes almost exclusively from what goes through the minds of human beings. Nature does not need Art, she is perfect.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
I do not pretend to offer a unique work, yet I believe that my work is unique. The fruit of an incessant search and an eternal dissatisfaction that led me to propose for 4 years a set of works that I called “Room Art”. An exploration of the walls of the rooms of our homes, interior Street Art, intimate, in which I distill handwritten messages inviting reflection.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Of my peers and what lies in their brains.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I would like to be a creator of emotion, positive or negative. I would like my work to invite reflection.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
I work in a hurry, spontaneously, quickly, the gesture is of great importance, I like the accidents that my way of working generates, they bring my work to life.
Do you use a particular working technique? if so, can you explain it?
I use whatever I have on hand, as long as it helps me tell a story.
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
I hope. I don't remember having met other artists who offer works representing the interior walls of our houses as I do through my “Room Art”.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?
I prefer to work with supports such as medium, wood or paper. The rendering offered by the canvas does not lend itself well to my work.
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 work in a big, basic building in my garden, usually with music (and unfortunately no heating), I work there alone. I always have several works in progress.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
I travel a lot for myself. Meetings are the essence of my work. During my travels, I plaster my works on the walls of the cities I pass through, offering them to those who find them. I was also lucky to be recognized by professionals who exhibited my work and allowed me to meet collectors, but I prefer to observe than to be observed.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
It is impossible for me to stop working, searching, trying to evolve. Even if I have to finish my life at the EHPAD, I will continue to create. As for my notoriety, it follows its way, it grows without weakening.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
As said before, my theme is “what lies in the minds of human beings” and I use everything that comes to hand to translate it into images.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
I had the chance to present my works during personal exhibitions in beautiful galleries, as well as during international fairs, presented by recognized gallerists. In a word, I feel more and more in my place there. I'm losing the impostor syndrome I may have had.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?
I would have liked to be part of the group that tagged the “Grotte Chauvet”, almost 40,000 years ago. Since then we have been trying to do better, but have we succeeded?
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
