Cristiano Tassinari, artist from Italy. Photo © Courtesy of the artist
Tell us what you do and your beginnings.
As often happens, things are the result of the combination of fortuitous elements. In retrospect I realize what a crucial role a certain professor played during my studies, seeing an exhibition or meeting a certain person. I often like to think about what outcome a different combination of elements would have led to.
In this period I am working on recomposing my biography by digging into the depths of the choral composition that precedes me. I prefer the use of painting, but I don’t mind sometimes resorting to sculpture or more graphic and ‘conceptual’ works.
When I had my first solo exhibition I wasn’t yet of age, then everything happened quite spontaneously.
What does your work aim to say?
I am very interested in processes, often the final result such as an exhibition or a certain work is only the epigone. Like: ‘I would like to create a sculpture that uses an iconographic imagery alien to Western culture but using local techniques and materials’, this is how Auspicious Beast was born, an apotropaic creature from Southeast Asia made of lead embossed. The material came from the roof of my family home.
I would like to create a portrait of my mother through her objects and I created the exhibition Mother’s Bliss and C di Ciliegia. I like to leave the public with maximum freedom on how to use the works, I believe that there are multiple ways of accessing art and they are all correct, even when I am convinced that the message is clear I am often proven wrong and more often than not pleasantly surprised.
Where do you find inspiration for your art?
Finding the motivations that drive you to go to the studio and do things that most of the time don’t turn into anything concrete is the most beautiful and inexplicable mystery. They are often confusing ideas that need to be substantiated by giving them shape.
© Cristiano Tassinari
It can all start from something I saw or perhaps dreamed of. If I only use my rational part, it is one hundred percent guaranteed that the result will be mediocre. It’s a two-person game.
Could you give us some insight into your creative process?
Maybe I should talk about creative processes since I don’t have one in particular. For example, I could randomly spread colors on the canvas and then complete it by having random parts that may or may not suit the purposes.
It’s not guaranteed to work, but at least it’s an attempt. When a work works whether it’s a neon, a painting, or a text, it always seems evident to me, it is as if it had always been there waiting for me: ‘Hello, here you are finally!’. It’s something magical.
What are your future projects?
I’m doing some research on my grandfather, I don’t know if it will become a project yet, but I feel like I have to. I would like to be able to compose a project that manages to have all the qualities of involvement with elements of the story with a capital ‘s’ and a small story.
It will be an interesting challenge, let’s see where it takes me. Then I’m continuing my work with dioecious flowers on silk, they are so light, they’re addictive, and there’s a real need for them in these times.
Interview by Fabio Pariante: X • Instagram • Website
