Italian contemporary artist Patrizia Biondi talks about finding refuge in art, in an exclusive art interview with Anjali Singh for the Asian Curator.
“Art was my refuge because by making beautiful things I felt I was creating some kind of balance in my own reality to counteract the fear and uncertainty of those historically seminal times.”
Contemporary artist Patrizia Biondi
Featured image: INCOTERM DDP. Delivery Duty Paid to the Port of Naples. Italian contemporary artist Patrizia Biondi. Image courtesy: Danilo Donzelli Photography.
If Liberty Means Anything at All, It Means the Right to Tell People What They Don’t Want to Hear. Orwell
Artist interview
Please tell us a little about yourself. What brought you to the world of art and how did you start?
I grew up in Italy during the 70s, through tumultuous and often violent years. The country was going through monumental socio-political changes brought about by protests and terrorism. From very early on, art was my refuge because by making beautiful things. I felt I was creating some kind of balance in my own reality to counteract the fear and uncertainty of those historically seminal times.
What is the primary role of an artist? How do you describe yourself in the context of challenging people’s perspectives via your work?
In my view, the artist metabolises, interprets and responds to life; then proposes it to the viewer in a different format by structuring elements in a way that is aesthetically engaging. That way, art can be an effective wake-up call, if need be. Materials, colours, textures, style, narrative, are the instruments of the artist. Then it is given that these tools are used to communicate the maker’s perception of their surroundings. I would say that art is inevitably, a product of the society within which it emerges.
As such, artistic oeuvre is well and truly an honest and candid way of documenting history. Unlike most of history that is written through the lens of vested interests. From this perspective, the artist can be thought of as a scribe. And the artwork as the explained and clarified issue at hand, whatever that may be. Thus compelling the viewer to contemplate what they are looking at. However, I think that this outcome is inherent to the creative process; rather than a role consciously undertaken by artists.
Carton 3 of 3. Marx & Engels sideview. Italian contemporary artist Patrizia Biondi.
What inspires you? Let’s talk about your frameworks, references and process.
I am inspired by beauty in its broadest form. In my perspective, beauty is also defined by kindness, empathy and solidarity. Beauty encompasses protecting and nurturing nature, animals and the humans who cannot protect themselves. The objects that I make are the culmination of my aesthetic sensibility but, there are so many factors that contribute to the formation of such sensibility and, consequently, provide inspiration. Our immediate environment, our experiences, our observations of the world at large, our capacity for discernment, the way we relate to others and the personal/emotional needs that subsequently arise from all that, shape our perception and, with it, our aesthetic sensibility.
I am uncomfortable in a world that appears increasingly unkind, choosing material prosperity at the expense of others – human and non-human. Therefore, salvaging the cardboard, cleaning it, painting it, cutting it and transmuting it into a beautiful, collectable object, gives me a sense of having saved something, of having turned something around. This act of transmuting an abandoned material intrinsically carries the story of a disposable society but also carries my interpretation of it. And that is my story.
Reading certain philosophers also assuages my need for understanding specific problems and propels my practice, by providing the conceptual framework for it. I was stoked when I discovered Jean Baudrillard because he articulated so much that I instinctively knew and which, when I read, immediately connected with. His critique of consumerism is what resonated the most with me and guided me towards cardboard.
In a time of deceit, telling truth is a revolutionary act.
Contemporary artist Patrizia Biondi
What are you looking for when you look at other artists’ work?
I tend to look for whatever is engaging in an artwork. When I come across it, I regularly find myself analysing how the artist has achieved this. My maestros are many and each of them has contributed in some way to shaping my creative process. Among them are Caravaggio for the ground-breaking chiaroscuro and cinematic drama, Artemisia Gentileschi for the poignancy, Robert Rauschenberg for the ability to imbue found materials with life and meaning, Frank Stella for the innovative use of pictorial and dimensional space, and a good few more.
Think of the biggest professional risk you’ve taken. What helped you take that risk?
Taking time off everything to go back to university and do a Visual Arts degree. It completely changed the way I think about my artistic practice.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received? Any mentor, curator or gallerist who deserves a special mention for furthering your journey?
My parents supplied the best piece of advice – when you have an appointment, turn up five minutes early; you show respect.
Every gallery I’ve dealt with warrants a particular mention. So far, I have had the privilege to always deal with supportive and professional people and have great relationships with all of them. Of particular importance is Artereal Gallery in Sydney, whose all-female team provides valuable, ongoing mentoring. Francesco Annarumma of Annarumma Gallery in Naples organised my first residency and solo exhibition in Italy. He was ultra-supportive with accommodation, materials and mentoring.
Are you more of a studio artist or naturally collaborative by nature? How do you feel about commissions?
I work eminently well on my own. That said, I am presently in the midst of a collaboration and greatly enjoying it. Commissions can work well, provided that there is clarity around what is required.
How does your audience interact and react to the work you put out into the world?
My sense is that the viewer is immediately attracted to the materiality of the work. Its textures as well as its visual complexity and intricacy. The materials employed, the quasi-architectural organisation of the elements and even the act of cutting, all raise questions, which is precisely my intention.
What are you working on now? What’s coming next season?
I took the isolation enforced during the COVID crisis as an opportunity to slow down from commitments to work on new projects and visions. Specifically, there are talks for a collaboration with Ms Saffaa, an amazing muralist/printmaker. She is well known worldwide for creating the “I Am My Own Guardian” campaign, which has since become a global movement. I have also started a collaboration with a foundry to cast some of my works in bronze. Alongside all this, I am creating a body of free-standing sculptures using a broader range of recovered materials. Watch this space. More imminently, my work will be showing in a group exhibition at Factory49, an art gallery in Marrickville (Australia), opening on the 2nd of September, 2020 and running through to the 26th of September, 2020. Additionally, writing a proposal for a PhD.
For enquiries contact: patriziabiondi1 [at] gmail [dot] com
Represented in Sydney, Australia by Artereal Gallery: info@artereal.com.au
Represented in Italy by Annarumma Gallery: info@annarumma.net
For over two decades, the aim of contemporary art curator Francesco Annarumma’s eponymous gallery, the Annarumma Art Gallery in Napoli, has been to promote fresh talent before they reach worldwide acclaim. Read his insightful interview on what makes a good artist great, exclusively on the Asian Curator.
Before you go – you might like to browse our Artist Interviews. Interviews of artists and outliers on how to be an artist. Contemporary artists on the source of their creative inspiration.