By Giorgio Di Marzo
Francesca Galeazzi is a sculptress and architect.
Dear Francesca, what is art?
Art is a necessity to me. I am a very visual person, in the sense that I tend to use primarily visual languages to communicate, thus making art is the only way I know to fully express myself, my thoughts and ultimately comment on the world that surrounds me, both physical and mental.
Tell us about yourself and your art.
I can say that I have always been making art: since I was a little child I used to draw or scribble on any surface I found, thus holding a pencil and drawing to express my thoughts is almost an instinctive and natural act.
My arts practice is mainly autobiographical, in that I use visual arts to express and somehow share a personal and intimate side of my life. I did study architectural engineering because I am very passionate about designing spaces that can positively change the life of their users. At the same time I did attend painting and applied arts workshops in Italian private art schools, until I moved to London in 2000. At the moment I am studying for a MA in Fine Arts at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
What are you working on at the moment?
In the last months I have been focusing my work on the notion of domestic space, that real or imaginary space that we call home, and on the sense of belonging to a given place or a situation. Somehow, as a person and as an artist, I am searching for reference points in my life, for fixed and stable elements that I can rely upon and that allow me to spring towards higher or more ambitious targets, knowing that there is always a solid and familiar base to go back to. I believe that this search to establish stable roots is a common aspect to those that have been living abroad for long time and that frequently find themselves in a situation of suspension between two lands, two cultures, two ways of living. Thus my installations on the theme of belonging and home reflect a very personal research.
Coordinating work and art: what is the compromise? Why do you not choose between the two?
Well, I feel that being an artist and working in the world of architecture are two sides of the same coin, two integral and complementary parts of myself, thus choosing between one or the other would mean thrusting aside a fundamental part of me. Carrying out both these activities in a professional way requires discipline and dedication and surely a great deal of passion! It means using the inspiration that one activity generates to create new ideas for the other one, so that for example my work in architecture influences my installations and, at the same time, my arts practice in London’s contemporary art scene makes my architecture job more varied. I believe that this duality is extremely stimulating. To me it means not giving anything for granted, it is a way of constantly looking for new stimuli and new points of view.
What do you reckon is stimulating then? How do you find time for your private life?
Stimulating is when one finds the strength to rethink oneself as an artist and as a person, in order to create new perceptions and perspectives. It means putting the self under pressure to create the necessity and the conditions to express the self powerfully, in a kind of never-ending loop, in which to every stimulus correspond new incentives and new responses, endlessly.
Time for a private life? Well, there is little free time, as I said I need to be very disciplined with myself; luckily my partner is an artist too and he supports me in this choice. But I have to admit that I enjoy this intense way of living, because it means expressing myself and fulfilling my ego, thus it is a process that ultimately generates happiness through lots of work and discipline.
What is happiness, then?
I believe that happiness is a temporary state of mind, it is dynamic and in constant transformation. To me it means finding that moment in which the two sides of the coin do compensate and support each other, it means feeling that I have built a solid base on which developing my own research and, perhaps, it is something like the start of a new journey where you know you have chosen the right path.
How do you see yourself in 10 years?
My long term project is to design and build large installations, similar to urban or architectonic interventions, with the ultimate aim of unifying art and architecture into a unique path of research which is compatible to both. In the near future I have in programme an intervention during Act Art 5, a contemporary art event in London wich will take place on 8th June 2007. I will then co-curate and show new work in a group exhibition on 22nd June and finally I will exhibit at the graduation show of my Master’s course in August, thus a very intense programme again!
The videointerview with Francesca Galeazzi is available on our website www.giorgiostudio.co.uk.
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