Interview: Giulia Del Gobbo
Luca Curci talks with Giulia Del Gobbo during FUTURE LANDSCAPES, third appointment of BORDERS ART FAIR 2021, at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello.

“I was born in Fermo on July 12, 1999. With an interest in humanistic studies, I attended the Liceo Classico Annibal Caro in Fermo. However, my passion for art has been predominant in the choice of university, since I wanted to combine my many interests and to prove how art and design are very powerful social bonds. I am currently attending the last year of the BA in Industrial Product Design at the University of Ferrara. I came across photography during my Erasmus experience in Germany and every day I am more and more interested and fascinated by this world, as I have learned to see beauty in every detail“.

Luca Curci – How did you get to photography? Do you remember why you took your first professional photo?
Giulia Del Gobbo – I got to photography during my first experience abroad in Germany. I always like to say – and I am more and more convinced of it every day – that photography is a “habit of eyes”, from the Latin word “habitus”, which means ‘way of being’. For me, photography was a process. It all happened by chance: the different cultural context in which I found myself, pushed me to see everything through different eyes, even everyday aspects of life. It was at this time that I took my first professional photo, unaware that it would later become part of a wider project.

LC – When you take photos, are you usually inspired by the situation, or do you find inspiration in yourself?
GDG – I think the two aspects counterbalance each other. In my photos, I am often inspired both by objects and by the situation around me. I love capturing landscapes that struggle between natural and artificial, those where I can frame and almost imagine objects into other contexts. And all of this finds inspiration in me. For me, a photo can stem from a word, a physical or imaginary journey.

LC – Which is the role the artist plays in society? And contemporary art?
GDG – In my opinion, today the artist has a crucial role and, most importantly, a lot of responsibilities. Artists shape our society, enrich souls and spread the love for beauty, simplicity and boundless creativity. How could we have overcome a pandemic without art? Art, especially the contemporary one, does not use unreachable tools, but is a direct medium and overcomes any barrier. It investigates the most urgent issues of reality sometimes in an ironic and humorous way, and always makes us think about our behavior.

LC – Do you use art to express something in particular? Is it your medium of expression?
GDG – I use my art to show that beauty is everywhere and that we just need to learn how to recognize it. I use my art to say that art itself is the most democratic form of expression. I want to prove that art, in my case photography, is a matter of words and stories hidden behind such silent objects.

LC – Are your projects focused on a specific theme?
GDG – In my artistic projects, I am generally interested in investigating the relationship between architecture, body and space. I like to think that we shape our environments and that our environments shape us back.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this festival? How did it inspire you?
GDG – Since the focus of the festival is “Future Landscapes”, with my project I wanted to investigate the idea of ‘borders’, between soul and body, between human beings and the city. I think it is very interesting and useful to reflect on the future landscape of our society and on the ways we can improve it and always make it better.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
GDG –When I was in Germany, I was amazed by this long tradition of Zu Verschenken, a common ritual consisting in leaving objects you don’t need anymore on the streets and waiting for other people to get them for free. This is a very common ritual especially in the south of Germany, but also in other bigger cities of the north, like Berlin. Once in Italy, I started to think about it. This ritual triggered a lot of interesting questions useful to investigate in view of the new invisible borders and the new ways of living everyday life and new human connections. Are there really borders in our society? How is the relationship between people? If humankind is a symbiotic concept, where does “mine” end and where does “yours” start? Could it be a good solution to create liquid societies, where different objects collected by different people tell us long-term stories instead of being social barriers? Since there is an exchange of objects in a long period of time, how long do they last? Are they immortal? From whom do they come? Where do they arrive? And could the Zu Verschenken society be the best future landscape we can apply in our everyday life, spontaneously giving without asking anything in return?

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
GDG – I believe that Itsliquid Group offers a good opportunity in terms of visibility and improvement of knowledge, both for established and emerging artists, such as me. I really admire your work of proposing, conceiving and observing art in all its aspects, from photography to performance.

LC – Did you enjoy cooperating with us?
GDG – I have really appreciated your availability, reliability and trust in my work since it was my first photographic project. I hope there will be other opportunities to meet again in the near future.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
GDG – I believe that your group is really organized and well-grounded in the field of art. I have appreciated the opportunity that you offer to artists to help them take advantage of an international showcase in which to propose their talent. Emerging artists also have the possibility to confront themselves with well-known artists and to exchange ideas, opinions and interests.