Artist Bio

 
Fernanda Piamonti was born on November 2nd, 1973 in La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina). She began her Art education when she was 10 years old at The Arts High School Francisco De Santo, National University of La Plata where  she later graduated as Art Professor with an Arts Licensure. In 2002, she took Master courses at School Ernesto de La Cárcova, Buenos Aires. Since 1993, she has participated in national and international exhibitions where she has received numerous prizes and scholarships in Europe, Paris and Spain. Thanks to these opportunities she was able to live abroad. She has been invited to give open classes in the United States and Germany. Her works have been exhibited in Foundations such as OSDE, YPF, Nation Bank Argentinian and North Carolina Museum of Art and are now part of their collections.  Her works are part of the Private Collections in England, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, United States, Aruba, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Argentina. She has also organized individual and group exhibitions in her country and abroad. At present she lives in the historical San Telmo district of Buenos Aires (Argentina) where she has her art studio.
 

Interview 

 

Artist: Fernanda Piamonti

When you decided to become an artist?

I don’t remember when it happened. I feel that the process was a continuous art-game. As a young girl, I promised myself not to stop playing.  
Six years of school makes us abandon the child’s solitary “game” that stimulates a lot of creativity. But my parents created a fantastical place in my visual world; and my sensitivity was strong.
I kept these beautiful universes alive into my Bachelor of Fine Arts and into the study of sculpture.  Then came fellowships and residencies in Europe, Paris, Germany, and Spain. There was travel, discovery, museums, and new ideas. I met the work of the masters. What I absorbed is still with me; though in practice, I am still very much linked to the ludic world of my childhood.

What do you like most about the place where you live, and how does it affect your work?

I paint what I see on a daily basis. I lay hold of my environment and internalize it–to perceive it more fully: City streets and city characters, the material consequences of the past in moldings, gazebos, sculptures.  In Buenos Aires, the Bridges of La Boca, the Riachuelo River, the monumental area of the Congress of the Nation, its domes, the Obelisk, the Colón Theater.
The same responses arose in me when I lived in Paris. Paris, with its canals, palaces, gardens, great panoramic views!

 When creating, what inspires you?

I believe in inspiration as a seduction. The materiality of the work attracts me. I use it to develop techniques and to experiment and to find myself in a tangible world of objects and substances, including a sculpture, a body, a face, a torso, an ornament, a fabric, along with the intangibles: light, color, music, and the aesthetic of another artist.  I am seduced and inspired.

Why did you choose to work with oil? And what about non-traditional elements such as tar?

 
I’ve worked with traditional materials from a very young age. At thirteen I was using acids, water-based inks, charcoal, pencil, oil, and gouges to make woodcuts. I chose to take those materials and tools to the limit. Some of these materials are toxic and very uncomfortable to work with because they do not dry. To solve the problem, I developed techniques with tar. I incorporated tools of scraping, incision, sgraffito.  I draw on photo paper with a sharp tool, then after enlarging the image, I use spoons or a CD to draw. I like to improvise. I invent new combinations to surprise myself: pigments with water, damp earth, egg yolk, etc.
 

 What music do you listen to while painting. Do you have any ritual in your studio?

I listen to…Jazz: Keith Jarrett. Classical music: Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Tchaikovsky. Interpreters: Daniel Darenboim and  Martha Argerich, whom I have used as a model. (She has appeared in some of my series.) I am deeply moved by other talented artists such as composer Piazzolla. I also work in silence. My ritual is to take the lectern outdoors and paint with natural light. These surroundings make me more creative.

What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?

Perhaps it is dealing with my strong feelings about the bloody violence in the world today. In my own work, my challenge is to expand–to reach new cultures.

What has been your most ambitious art project?

It was an art-science project. It started with a prestigious doctor-specialist in neurobiology. I had to find forms of artistic representation of the brain—from my own brain.

What do you like to do when you’re not painting?

I like to …Design and make clothing. Read poetry of Rimbaud. Cook sweets. Play with my two-year old son. Have outings with my partner. Talk about architecture. Invite friends to eat. Show my work. See art shows, theater, movies. Travel to large cities, small towns or exotic   places. Contemplate nature. Dream awake.

Your work has gained international recognition in recent years, earning you a place in the homes of collectors and critics. How has this changed your approach to your work? Can you identify the pros and cons?

The expansion of my work and the interest of collectors make me freer. People are choosing my works even though they know that, as an artist, I am still “in the process.” When they choose my “vibrating” for their collections, I feel certain that we have something in common, although in many cases, I do not know them.
Regarding the “pros”: New technologies allow me to keep collectors up-to-date with my latest series, exhibitions, and films. It is especially important to those people who are  in distant continents. They are always attentive to my latest endeavors. 
For me, the “cons” do not exist. 
 

What legacy would like to leave in the world? 

As a species, we humans are driven by imagination. I hope that my artist’s imagination will survive as a link between the past and new aesthetic paradigms.
 
 
 

Interview by Rai TV in Italian

Click the images to see full size. 

Print 🖨