What inspired you to create works of art and to become an artist? (Events, feelings, experiences...)
Very small from the age of 10, I wanted to "recover" to make myself the objects, the symbols, the disguises, which I wanted.
In the slightest waste or insignificant object, I saw a form to exploit, a function to use or to divert.
At this time Ante-Ecological, we were not yet talking about Recycling or Revalorization. So I was wrong to be right too soon!
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
My artistic journey is that of an autodidact. We try, we grope, we work a lot.
Drawing and painting (ink, colored pencils, watercolour) for a few years (around 16-20 years old) to express myself, but already at that time the achievements "in volume" seemed more interesting to me.
I then assimilated the work on metal (welding, soldering) on wood (cutting and sculpture) on leather, acrylic for decoration, etc…
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
My non-belonging to a trend or a movement – I claim my status as a free electron… of his choices.
My subjects in volume of the World After and their realism.
My desire to mix all techniques to achieve the desired artistic result.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I am a kind of emotional sponge, in fact, EVERYTHING is good for " triggering the cerebral quantum reaction" :
An object found at random, a sudden desire for a photo, a press article, a concept that seems to me "un-turnable" etc.
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
No real approach in the beginning: We don't create for pleasure, we create because we HAD to do it ais - I usually say.
I would like him to ask questions about, among other things:
· The uselessness of the mass of goods and services that surround us and pollute our living space.
· The astonishing capacity of Homo Habilis (of which we are the descendants) to build himself, to manufacture everything he needs with what he can find along the paths and in his garbage cans.
· The fact that if things were to be missing, there are always replacement solutions to find, to design, to imagine... So, in the end, it is a very positive axis that I put as a watermark in my creations.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
Very spontaneous in general (a few hours at most), sometimes with a short sketch phase to fix things, I need to manipulate the pieces very quickly so that the creative mechanics fall into place and my hands find the way.
Creation in mental abstraction is not my credo, moreover ideas are volatile commodities, they must be transformed into volume as quickly as possible, otherwise they evaporate. I love this gestation fever in the process, it's pure adrenaline.
I have a very weak artistic culture I admit it, but I think that viewing the most beautiful courses of the best golfers in the world… will not give you a better swing.
Only YOUR work and your pugnacity (and the advice of competent people) will allow you to improve. It's sport … like art I think (perhaps wrongly?).
Do you use a particular working technique? if so, can you explain it?
I respect the rule of 3 units of the French theater of the XVII (a pure coincidence in fact!)
Unity of place: All the raw material must be placed there in front of me
Unit of time: The essential things (assembly of the mental puzzle) will happen in the same day (even if all the work will be spread over 1 to 2 weeks)
Unity of action: I only do 1 subject at a time (I write down ideas for future subjects in a notebook), but it seems important to me to put all my energy and my influx at the service of the creation of the moment .
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
Innovators in the subjects: Yes, no doubt because few artists work in volume, on the characters of the World After, and even fewer do it on "non-warrior" subjects or characters
Innovative in ethics: Yes certainly because I mix all the techniques, I do not belong to any school, any tribe... in fact it is difficult to put an Alien in a jar!
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?
Scale 1 is essential for me, because ultra realism obliges, what I do must be able to be used, worn, taken away…even destroyed by humans.
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 ONLY work in my workshop (cf. Answer to your question N° 7 = unity of place).
The space is organized like a factory (I have a heavy professional industry background) and therefore: Raw material storage space, Design office space, Prototyping space, Manufacturing space, Painting space, Finished product space.
All on 15 m2!
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
Unfortunately very little for lack of time I could not devote myself to my personal marketing.
Then the COVID arrived, I sold to collectors in the USA, through Artmajeur, and I had the opportunity to exchange with buyers.
To date, I am freed from my professional constraints (retired) and available full time to ensure my promotion, meet artists, and the public of course. So I intend to devote myself to it without counting…
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
Letting myself be guided by my desires and my passions, my subjects and techniques will take turns in the future. I don't want to anticipate it.
Hyper Vigilant (the great philosopher JC van Damne talks about “Awareness”)
hyper active
The desire to put oneself in a zone of discomfort to avoid boredom.
Will take me for sure to new lands in a few months or years. Let it be…
The future: Devoting more time to “making people know” exhibiting in a wide variety of places, both permanent and temporary.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
A Maori Totem with ornaments carved in a tree trunk of 2.50 m.
Why ? To ward off evil spirits of course.
You have to believe in something in this world, right?
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
I will remain discreet on this point, and for good reason, because I haven't really exhibited YET strictly speaking, but I'm starting in May this year.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?
A white marble sculpture with a perfect imitation of a veil on the skin, such as the Veiled Rebecca by Giovanni Maria Benzoni.
Why ? Because it is for me the absolute and ultimate mastery of technicality, the impossible challenge. Total abnegation for those who realize how much time and talent it takes to accomplish this prodigious work.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?
As long as you choose, let's take the best!
Leonardo da Vinci no doubt, who for me is the proof if necessary, that one can master art and technique while remaining an absolute visionary.
He would tell me about his canvases and his machines, and I would explain to him how a car works.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
