What inspired you to create works of art and to become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
Like many children, I dreamed of being an archaeologist. After my baccalaureate, I took an archeology / art history course in Lille. Learning the great masters, opening myself up to artistic understanding was obvious, I just had to find my medium, photography, first as a generalist then by specializing in architecture / interior architecture, fields in which I have been working with architects for 10 years, seeing all these works in these beautiful homes in France and abroad has awakened in me the desire to go to the "other side" and create
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
It's really been 2 years that I organize myself around my creative process, the time for me to "find myself" I guess. At the beginning of the year, I participated in my first real physical exhibition in Barcelona with other international artists at the ESART GALERIA where one of my creations, "the white tree" won the jury prize as well as the medal of the 2022 edition, This year will be the year of exhibitions and competitions.
My favorite medium is photography even if sculpture also attracts me a lot, I think about it. But anyway, all my work is oriented to varying degrees around architecture. The abstract and the New topography remain for me a rather important workhorse.
What are the 3 aspects that differentiate you from other artists, making your work unique?
I like photography, but the shooting is not for me the finality. I wish I could, like a painting canvas, bring things, modify things, play with reality. I like to see people projecting themselves in my photos, traveling, dreaming in this world that I will have nevertheless partly created, idealized to make it a unique place.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Architecture attracts me, a building or even a simple wall, a piece of sidewalk can seem magical to me so I open my eyes and I look at what man has created, so I have a huge playground with works of art everywhere – so I use
What is your artistic approach? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
I play with the places I come across in order to immortalize all or part of these places by modifying them, by assembling them in order to bring them to life through my eyes and make the spectator travel through a memory, a feeling.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
I am a spontaneous person who thinks a lot. I imagine a place, or rather an assembly of places, so I have more or less concrete ideas of what I want and I go hunting for images to get as close as possible to my initial ideas, I find a piece of wall in one street, then a sidewalk in another then comes the building and all that in any order. Then it's up to me to put some order in this mess,
I have images I made years ago that serve me now, I hadn't yet found the one(s) that should complement them. The creation process for a work can vary from a few hours, if everything flows naturally (which is rare) to several days or more, I have creations that I started 1 year ago and I come back to them from time to time.
Do you use a particular working technique? if so, can you explain it?
For the most part, I use digital collage – For me everything can be beautiful, but not necessarily where it is. So I walk around with my camera. Once on my computer, I start my collage work. Sometimes, very little change, a little color is enough and other times it will take me dozens of images to create a new one.
Are there any innovative aspects in your work? Can you tell us which ones?
I like to take ideas, techniques from the visions of various currents or movements such as New topography for example which brings a vision of the modifications engendered by man, but finding this movement quite pessimistic because of its withdrawal and its lack of emotion. , I bring color, abstraction by focusing on a specific point and not on a whole in order to create a place where New topography represents reality.
Do you have a format or medium that you are most comfortable with? if yes, why ?
I have a weakness for square and 5:4 formats even if I am not closed to other formats, it all depends on the creation but I find that these 2 formats adapt well to semi-detail photography. As for the support, I particularly like the Hahnmuhle Baryta or Rag paper, it is a natural cotton paper and the texture of the paper is just magical.
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?
My photo studio is in the street and when it comes to creation, I have an office dedicated to retouching which always starts with a good, big coffee (and the coffee maker next door) because I can be there for hours.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for fairs or exhibitions? If so, what does it bring you?
My playground being the street, these being (very) different from one city to another, from one country to another, so I move quite a lot indeed, being a photographer by profession also with architects that allows me to travel, Having started the exhibitions this year, I started with Barcelona, a city where the architecture is grandiose, a recent trip to Venice allowed me to discover this magnificent city of art and history, I I'm planning an exhibition there at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your career as an artist in the future?
I got a taste for it, I must admit, and so this year will be the year of making contacts to exhibit - to develop my artistic work -
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
My favorite theme is architecture, I am currently working on 2 series. One featuring buildings that I isolate from their context in order to include them in a minimalist landscape with the aim of putting them on the front of the stage and a second series which is more akin to the New topography movement but with a more contemporary and abstract vision
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
The Barcelona exhibition at the beginning of 2022 because my first international physical exhibition – With the bonus of 2 awards, so a year that is off to a good start.
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you choose? And why ?
The Rite of Napoleon by Jacques Louis David, This is one of the first works that I studied, it is fascinating. In addition to being beautiful and major, it's all in the details. I like !
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How would you suggest he spend the evening?
Dustin Yellin. This American artist impresses me. These sculptures are masterful, beautiful, complex and full of details (I think I have a problem with the details lol) -
Why plan a typical evening that we wouldn't hold anyway. To foresee nothing is to leave the chance to so many possibilities.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
