NARBEN

Acrylic, oil, plaster, vinyl glue, cotton, staples, jute

103 cm x 167 cm

Lecce, 2023

 

While glancing around my studio, I noticed many past paintings—pieces I no longer felt proud of, works that no longer represented me, or simply remnants of failure.

Confronting these personal fragments, I began to reflect on my role as an artist in a world where overproduction and waste have become normalized, where only the polished and glossy surfaces are often shown.

I gathered fifteen of these old canvases, hidden and gathering dust in a corner. I repainted them, tore them apart, mistreated them, and finally stitched them back together by hand.
 

The result was exhibited as an installation: suspended at the center of the room by two transparent threads, its base gently resting on the floor while the upper part floats in space. As viewers approach or move around it, the piece begins to sway—subtly, almost imperceptibly—breathing with them, responding to their presence.

 

Like a Frankenstein, I gave birth to a creature who revealed my own fragility.

This was a long process of deconstruction and reassembly—a metaphor for life itself. It’s an act of giving voice to failures, exposing the scars and embracing a sustainable perspective.