Our Italian contributor Ilaria Pauletti attended the opening night of artist and tattooist Morg Armeni’s first solo art show in Rome. Ilaria chatted to Morg about the art she has showcased and the process behind it…
Morg’s gallery of artwork title ‘Morgasmatron_redemption through delight’ has been curated by Marta Bandini and Elettra Bottazzi, at Parione9 in Rome. The exhibition displays some of her most recent works and some of her deepest emotions.
In fact, Morg portrays her journey through life, love and suffering, while giving the feminine figure a new role.
The skills in detailed paintings and the refined technique allowed the artist to play with different materials: oils on canvas but also on wood and thin paper.I think every person could relate to one piece more than to one other, but they were all connected to me, from the least to the most recent.
How do you feel when you start a new painting? And when you finish it?
When I start painting I feel like I’m in a round room with many doors that I can open, behind each of them is a world of meanings and symbols for me to use. It’s the feeling of having infinite possibilities.When it comes to the end I feel like a mother taking care of her child. If everything I have created is in its right place, I feel at peace but I am also inspired to create my next piece.
What piece of work, that you have shown in the gallery, best represents you?Probably the work that represents me and how I am now is The Creator. Undoubtedly because it is the last oil work I’ve painted and also because it touches the issue that I want to always keep in mind. We are the creators of our present, and we can go beyond our difficulties or the feelings of fear of sadness that limit us. We can become again our sacred temple of love, for ourselves and for life, creating our present and, consequently, the future in the most natural and harmonious way.
Do you find painting therapeutic? I find that facing your own ideas and convictions, represented in a figurative way, through painting, often puts me in front of sides of myself that I would not otherwise see. The hours I spend in solitude painting, often means I realise that I have some unresolved issues that I need to work on. This is very therapeutic for me. Often, looking retrospectively at my paintings makes me see more clearly the emotional situations that I’m going through and my growth, or at least the direction that I’m pursuing.
How important is to be yourself and get literally naked for art?
I think it’s everything, but I also believe that it is a time consuming process. Initially, when your painting technique is immature, you need to take inspiration from the great masters and sometimes imitation can distort your own style and nature. With time we can break away from this and this is how we find our true selves. I believe this is the most real art expression.
Morg’s solo show is at Parione 9 until 17th April