Interview: BSP
Luca Curci talks with BSP during CONSCIOUSNESS, second appointment of the ANIMA MUNDI 2022, at Palazzo Bembo – Venice Grand Canal and Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

My name is BSP and I’m a synaesthetic artist. My production is a combined language intertwining art, music, environmental awareness, and social issues. Being a singer and a painter, I’m continuously developing an original way to express myself. I believe ‘artivism’ is powerful because it doesn’t overwhelm the public as generally scientific reports do. Instead, it offers a solution and a profound sense of optimism. Producing works from reclaimed waste brings an activist touch and a powerful message that is way more engaging. What art is triggering is a commitment for us all to take a stand in the smallest, and yet most meaningful way and I want to be part of it! I’m traveling all over the world with “The Blending of Senses”, an interactive performance where art, music, and environmental care are brought together. What I’m aiming for, is to create a contemporary and distinct composition for every performance session engaging with the viewers/listeners by blending all senses. My performances and work had been showcased in the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and soon I will go to Turkey, Brazil and USA thanks to a bursary recently won with LMCC Manhattan Cultural Council.

Luca Curci – What are you currently working on?
BSP – I have so many upcoming projects I don’t know where to start! I’m currently working on new pieces connected with environmental care, music, and languages. Also, I’m shooting a documentary on my performance “The Blending of Senses” for Sky Arts. I’m traveling to bring the performance out and about as much as I can in order to promote it at best. Ultimately, I won a bursary in London and one in the US! I’m really excited about the next steps. In addition to this, I launched a fundraising for the upcoming projects I would love to be supported.

LC – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
BSP – I approached art when I was very young and I always sang and paint but in the beginning, I was really shy to show the visual side of my production. Thanks to my agent Max Gordiani and my vocal coach Pámela Pagano, I understood that I could intertwine the two things in a very original way that brought me where I am today. I use chromesthesia – a type of synesthesia where colors are unconsciously perceived when listening to music – to produce my artworks and I convey what I experience with a performance where people are able to enter into my world and see what I see in my mind, while I sing, paint and play my canvas.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
BSP – The performance is continuously evolving, and so is the painting style. Everything started with one small canvas on stage, already painted, and with a few sounds associated. Mostly, with a very small consciousness of what I was doing and what was the message I wanted to deliver. I was painting and singing just because I love it. Today, I have two big white canvas at the beginning of the live set, and at the end, I’m able to show two original artworks made while singing and playing. The canvas is associated with sounds with a more sophisticated system, I learned how to use music software and together with my team and my producer, we constantly think about the purpose of this art that I do and how to engage with listeners/viewers. We are constantly challenging ourselves into discovering new languages to express what I have in my mind, and the love we have for art.

LC – What is your creative process like?
BSP – My paintings are the result of my synesthesia. By performing solo, I engage in a passionate chromesthetic portrayal of my music, producing original paintings while singing and playing. This is achieved by installing a small piezo trigger on the back of each canvas and connecting them to a laptop. Each artwork will then be assigned to a different sound, which I can activate by painting on it. All the stands I use as a support for the equipment are made of recycled cardboard by an Italian artisan “Bottega di Cartone” and the colours are made using natural pigments I make myself. What I’m aiming for, is to create a contemporary and distinct composition for every performance session engaging with the viewers/listeners into the blending all senses, with a touch of “artivism” to make the people related to the cause of the environment care.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
BSP – Painting while singing and playing is never easy. I need to focus and isolate myself in order to put real feelings on the canvas, but it’s not always easy as the environment and people surrounding me is key. If I don’t feel the crowd or I feel disconnected, I can’t produce really good works and I can’t focus because I feel I can’t give myself to someone who is not completely open. To paint the colors I see in my mind is like painting completely undressed. And if I don’t feel intimacy with who I’m standing in front of me is almost embarrassing. I have to say it happens rarely, but when it does, it’s really difficult for me to perform. I love to talk to people before performing, to understand what their expectations are and if they are open enough to receive.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artwork presented been created for the festival or as a part of preexisting works?
BSP – The works I produce are always different and unique. It’s a live painting production and it exactly represents the present moment and the people surrounding me. “The Milk of Dreams” #1 and #2 (honoring the Venice Biennale 2022 title) really speak about “Anima Mundi”, Venice, and the lovely people I met during this leg of the tour.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
BSP – “The Blending of Senses” is perfectly connected with ANIMA MUNDI because it’s an unconscious connection between the soul and the body. I depict what I feel and see in my mind while my body takes an action: I visualize the colours I have in my mind and I create the connection by putting them onto a canvas while singing and moving with the music. It’s like I transcended the standard language to connect myself with my consciousness and “anima”. And this allows me to create a deeper connection with listeners/viewers watching the performances.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
BSP – I have had the pleasure to work with ITSLIQUID for many years and I think the platform is resourceful, quite interesting, and always aligned with the current times. It’s also very inspiring because there are articles and reviews about artists from all over the world with that I established connections and friendships.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
BSP – ITSLIQUID it’s a great opportunity for artists as the company works hard to create the right environment, which is key in order for the experience to be worthy. It’s important to perform or showcase your works in a suitable venue with the suitable public, potential collectors, artists from all over the world, and art enthusiasts. ITSLIQUID it’s all this.