Interview: Chiara Trevisan
Luca Curci talks with Chiara Trevisan, during FRAGMENTED IDENTITIES, second appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR 2021, at Palazzo Albrizzi Capello

“The human mind is always tormented by thoughts, passions, doubts, every movement we make, every look, the tone of our voice, the words we choose, everything in us shows what is going on inside us. I try to describe with my images the feelings and the emotions that I feel and perceive in the others. I love to observe and grasp behind the apparent tranquility and ordinariness of life, what are the intimate feelings of people, thoughts, desires, dramas, concerns, details or small gestures that escape control. I’m attracted by everything that is tormented, by strong feelings, by passions, by everything that has a soul, that lets a feeling shine through. I realized that every image I choose, edit, process, every text, music, photography that I select has the same characteristic: to be tormented, strong, full of emotions, must convey pathos.  

I have a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Architecture in Venice and I mainly work in architecture and graphic design. This type of journey has given me the opportunity to work a lot on the compositional aspect, which I believe is fundamental in the creation of my collages. My artistic work in the strict sense has begun less than a year ago. Initially, I worked only on composition and color aspects, while the feeling was just something that unconsciously entered into the images I created. Now I’m better focusing on the subject matter that I’m interested in exploring and I’ve almost completely abandoned analog collage to explore different digital techniques and videos”.

Luca Curci – What is art for you?
Chiara Travisan – According to me, art is about finding the answers to my questions. Or more like clarifying the questions in my mind, then the answers will come eventually.

LC- What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
CT – I graduated in Architecture at the University of Architecture in Venice and I mainly deal with architecture and graphics. Immediately after my graduation, I started working as an architect in various design studios. Then I started working as a freelancer and in the last 8 years I have been involved in the design of stores, curating both the architectural and the graphic part. This type of path has certainly influenced me a lot and has given me the opportunity to work a lot on the compositional aspect, which I believe is fundamental in the creation of my images.
My artwork in the strictest sense has begun less than a year ago and initially I was only working on the composition and color aspects. As with many other people, the pandemic forced me to put myself back into the game, to look in the mirror and ask myself what direction I was going. To ask myself questions for which I am seeking answers with the help of art. I started making digital compositions almost naturally and now I’m trying to go beyond what is the pure compositional aspect of the images. On the artistic side, I am still experimenting between collages/digital artwork and video and looking for my direction.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it your medium of expression?
CT – I try to express feelings and emotions that I experience and that I read in people’s expressions and gestures. I use art as my main means of expression, but sometimes I also feel the need to write. It may happen that I use the two mediums together.

LC – Which art themes do you pursue? What is your preferred subject, if there is any?
CT – In reality this theme has pursued me and I cannot escape trying to portray it and it is the torment of the human mind. This is translated into the need to include the human figure in all my images or perceived it in some way.

LC – Which is the role the artist plays in society? And contemporary art?
CT – I think I bring a slightly different point of view than what you might expect, since my approach to art in the strict sense is very recent. I live this experience from a slightly different context and I can say that even today ordinary people, in most cases, consider art as something that escapes comprehension, as something that is there, but that is not necessary. All those questions that every artist asks himself and tries to convey through his works, for many are superfluous, even more if related to contemporary art. I think, instead, that art should be more and more inside everything, because not everyone knows how to see it. I think that everyone should have new eyes to be able to see beyond things and to be able to take advantage from those answers that artists with their path can help to find. I think art is in everything and everyone.

LC – What is the message linked to the artwork you have shown in this exhibition? How is it connected to the theme of the entire festival?
CT – The message I wanted to convey with my artwork is that barriers in the mind do not exist, everyone is made up of a stream of mixed thoughts, their own personal and those of the others. Everyone is unique but with multiple fragmented identities, which form a whole. I think that in contemporary society there are all the prerequisites for the overcoming of the concept of limit in all senses in which this can be understood. In the precise moment in which we realize that there is no limit, we will understand that everything is possible. When we will be able to break down the obstacles that our own mind creates, then we will be able to live in a reality where we will see infinite possibilities, building a new relationship with the world around us and with other living beings.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
CT – The intent of the video I presented is to show the flow of thoughts and feelings that run through us in every moment of our daily lives. None of us is complete or perfect. Every human being is a big puzzle composed of many small fragments made of experiences lived, people met, places visited, thoughts shared. Our mind is liquid and like a flow it collects and carries with it everything it comes in contact with, it mixes it and recomposes it into new thoughts, new ideas, feelings. There are no limits in the human mind, our thoughts are ours, but at the same time they belong to everyone, because they are made of everything we come into contact with.

LC – What do you think about ITSLIQUID Platform?
CT – I really like the platform, it is dynamic and has an international profile.

LC – What are your suggestions about our services? Is there something more we can provide to artists?
CT – I think an additional service that could be offered is more promotion of the artists on social networks like instagram, in the days leading up to the exhibition and during the event itself. I think this could give them more visibility.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
CT – I don’t have much experience in the art world yet, but from my impression after the first event, I think that following the dynamic flow of this group, you can have a good visibility and consequently good opportunities for growth.