Mirko Marcelli – an artist and musician from Italy, whose works are imbued with a balance of life, color and rhythm, in which breathes southern hedonism and antiquity, talks about himself and his approach to creativity.
A curator, indeed a curator of one of your shows wrote: It is not enough to look at the work of Mirco Marchelli. We must learn to listen to him. What do you think?
I was born as a musician: former trumpet player in Paolo Conte’s band and for 18 years music teacher in Ovada (until the early 90s) and I remain a musician and, as such, I create my paintings. My notes are fabrics, tools, books, old maps, plexiglass, or the scraps of earrings modeled in ceramic by my wife Caterina. With this material, already full of history and meaning, my objects-sculptures come to life, abstract landscapes that tell another story, made of reckless sounds (ICS), of straightened waves, of beautiful statuettes, of hugs in the shape of a cross, still waters and religious gardens.
Ovada is your city, on the border between Piedmont and Liguria, how much of her is there in your work?
Ovada is my city and I leave reluctantly, there is no need for countless travels; only one is enough, in depth. I live, live and work in my two studio-houses – under the dome of the Assumption of Ovada, or in the cool of the San Lorenzo farmhouse a few kilometers from Ovada – here I express my spasmodic search for beautiful things, for faithful friends, for good wine, of happiness. There is no gap between my work and my home, protected like a cave in the oldest heart of Ovada, but, thanks to four terraces, floating like a schooner on the surrounding hills of the upper Monferrato. Inside and out, ocher, green, brown earth, yellow, brick red are reflected; they are the same colors that animate my paintings, like the moving themes of a piece of music.
What are your reference artists?
My art, like my music, starts from things that already exist. Mine is an assembly game, on the line that goes from Paul Klee to Gastone Novelli and Cy Twombly.
Tell us how your work was born.
My work comes naturally, it can be said, I like to wake up early in the morning and start working; with the same taste I move from the piano to the counter, where I mold the clay, glue papers, cut pieces of wood, dilute the colors, melt the wax. I’m in no hurry; I wait for reality to come to meet me and suggest forms and subjects to me. It could be said that I work out of laziness: if I have to use a tube of red color, but I have blue closer, I use blue.
