Arvedo Arvedi is an out-of-the-box artist, not only for the path that led him to become a painter-after having been a farmer, an event organizer and a tourism executive-but also for the gaze with which he reads the world. Veronese by origin but Neapolitan by adoption, he has found in the colorful chaos of the South the creative energy to evolve his art into new, free, symbolic forms. From June 18 to July 2, he will be featured at the Mooney Foundation in Chicago with his new solo exhibition, Antiche Memorie, a visual journey among cave paintings, lost mythologies and universal messages, born out of a desire to find a shared language in an age in which – as he himself says – “everyone talks, but no one understands each other.” Exactly 30 years after his first American experience, Arvedi returns to exhibit in the very city where he was artistically born. We interviewed him to let him tell us about the exhibition, his worldview and visceral relationship with Naples, the city that changed his life.
You are a Veronese doc living in Naples. How do you find living in the city “of the sun, of the sea, of love”? “Naples is a fascinating city, where my artistic instincts have evolved considerably.The light, the colors, the historical and architectural beauties, the sea, the islands, even the chatter of people: everything becomes a stimulus for an artist’s mind, which absorbs, elaborates and transforms.Here I have my studio, and certainly the context has had a strong influence on my works. In Naples I invented new techniques, I used color in a more creative, freer, more … ‘anarchic’ way.”
Let’s talk about soccer. The rivalry between Napoli and Verona is historic. Heavy words have flown between the fans… “What can I say… I love soccer, but only as a topic of conversation. I sincerely consider certain slogans of my fellow citizens boorish. On the other hand, I found the ironic response of the Neapolitans ingenious.”
In the end, who do you root for? “I root for Napoli, out of sympathy. Apart from the direct clashes with Verona – and at one time also with Chievo, which has alas disappeared from the soccer radar – because blood is not betrayed … never!”
Let’s talk about your upcoming exhibition in Chicago, “Ancient Memories.” Why this title?””Ancient Memories” is inspired by a symbolic language related to prehistoric cave paintings found all over the world. Surprisingly, they show extraordinary similarities at every latitude: a common language made of similar symbols and representations, in civilizations that could not have contact with each other.In this exhibition I wanted to unite the world, inspired by ancient techniques and signs, but with the intention of speaking to today.We live in a time when everyone talks and no one understands each other. I felt the urgency to return to a universal language, primitive but powerful, to rediscover what unites us.”
Back to the exhibition and the venue that will host it: Chicago and the Mooney Foundation. Why are they so important to you? “Chicago is “my” city. Here I have experienced the most important moments of my life professionally.The Mooney Foundation is home: it is where I was born as an artist, exactly 30 years ago, when John David Mooney invited me to be his assistant for the international “StarDance” project, commissioned for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.An experience that changed my life forever, broadening my perspective.”
You have not always been an artist, right? “No, as I often say: I have had many lives. I have been a farmer, an organizer of events in Venetian villas, held institutional roles in tourism.I graduated in Marketing and Communication. Then, finally, I became an artist.”
So many lives and so many experiences far from the classic idea of the artist… “That’s true, but only in part. All experiences that have shaped me and led me to write a book that brings together these different worlds: the entrepreneur, the artist, the marketing expert.In my book Corporate Art. Embracing a New Method of Marketing and Sales, I have told how art has always, in the history of mankind, been a very powerful tool for communication, persuasion and sales: whether it is about products, religions or lifestyles.”
Will it be an important exhibition? “Yes, it will be a very important exhibition, imposing I dare say. I will exhibit more than 60 works of various sizes, divided into different sections:
La prima con una decina di quadri molto grandi (150×250 cm, circa 5×8 feet), dedicati ai quattro elementi – Fuoco, Aria, Acqua e Terra – e ad altri ispirati ai dipinti e alle incisioni rupestri degli indiani Hopi e ai famosi disegni della piana di Nazca, in Perù.
La seconda con gli acquarelli dei “Guerrieri Danzanti”, ispirati ai guerrieri della Val Camonica e alle incisioni rupestri del nord del Sahara.
La terza con la collezione dei “Guerrieri dalla Testa Grande”, ispirata a quelle misteriose incisioni raffiguranti dei o guerrieri potenti, con grandi teste a forma di casco (spaziale?), che molti ritengono testimonianze di visitatori alieni.
Infine, ci sarà una sala dedicata al progetto di art marketing “Arte da Vestire”, con una ventina di pashmine commissionate da diverse aziende con cui ho collaborato.»
“Art to Dress?” Can you explain more about it? “As I also write in my book, art is also a very powerful tool for marketing. The “Art to Dress” project was created for companies that want to pamper important people: customers, partners, key employees.A way to tell them, “I care about you. You are important to me. “My pashminas are personalized and unique gifts, made in limited series and derived from a painting specially created for the company.These objects, if well valued, stimulate in those who receive them a deep sense of pride and belonging.They are large (140×140 cm), brightly colored, and multipurpose: in winter around the neck, in summer as a sarong or cover-up. They become a cause for conversation, and the recipient joyfully tells the story of his or her gift.A wearable art that … warms the heart.”
The article Arvedo Arvedi, story of an artist who creates paintings and textiles in the shadow of Vesuvius comes from TheNewyorkese.
