Artist based in Italy
Marta Galmozzi, Portrait of the Artist
Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I studied Fine Arts in Italy and, later, I graduated with a Master's in Photography in Belgium. I guess that becoming an artist is a process, I wouldn't say there was an exact moment to know it. I always loved everything related to creativity in general. When I was a child, I played the piano for eleven years since I understood that music wasn't exactly my way of expression. Later, during high school, I used to hide fashion magazines beneath my books. I loved making collages out of magazines to decorate my room.
Marta Galmozzi, Untitled (metal structure), 2018, sculpture (photographs printed on forex, metal), 180 cm x 55 cm x 3 cm, installation view at Fomu - Fotomuseum, Antwerp (BE)
Marta Galmozzi, Untitled (cigarettes), 2019, floor installation (photographs UV printed on paper 150g), installation view at Projektrum Vera, Copenaghen (DK)
"The most beautiful part of working with photography is that it gives you infinite chances to create new stories. A new reality. And I love the inner contrast inside the medium: it contains both reality and fiction."
Marta Galmozzi, By your side, part of 'The thing' series, published on ISIT#2 magazine, 2020
What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I am currently working on a series called 'Buchi' (which means holes in Italian). These are the pictures left from my cut-outs. I always collected them, and sometimes the juxtaposition of these pictures creates unexpected narratives. I love the quality of chance in this work, the accident. It is the first time that I am not controlling the result of my work.
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in an artist's practice. What do you do for inspiration?
It may seem banal but the first inspiration comes from my emotions, life in general. I also do lots of research. Besides my work as an artist, I am also a Content Creator for a publication of contemporary art. Through this job, I find many inspiring artists or exhibitions. Then I read a lot. I believe that inspiration is like sedimentation, so I try to educate my eyes and ears on complexity.
Marta Galmozzi, Erased, 2018, sculpture (photographs printed on Dibond, wood, concrete base), 350 cm x 110 cm x 5 cm, installation view at Middelheim Museum, Antwerp (BE)
Describe your practice and process. Where do ideas start for you? In the studio or being in the world?
My artistic research started with a conflict with the medium of photography. I always tried to go against its limits. First of all, escaping the bidimensional in creating the effect of the tridimensional. Then, study the characteristics of the paper compared to other materials like metal or wood. What connects every work is the sense of loss. I like removing parts from pictures, to enhance certain aspects. And to let free the imagination. My projects usually start by traveling and going out of my usual landscapes. So I would say that my ideas start from being in the world.
Marta Galmozzi, Untitled (building), 2018, Photograph printed on Dibond, 80 cm x 80 cm
Marta Galmozzi, Untitled (transparent man), 2018, sculpture (photograph printed on Forex), 180 cm x 55 cm x 3 cm, installation view at Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp (BE)
How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch? Can you tell us about your style? How did you arrive at it?
I work both digitally and manually. I like experimenting with photography: editing, printing, cutting, changing the sizes, combine different images. I love the collage-way of working. By thinking of photography as a physical element, I think of new ways of display. The most beautiful part of working with photography is that it gives you infinite chances to create new stories. A new reality. And I love the inner contrast inside the medium: it contains both reality and fiction.
Marta Galmozzi, Pink bag (from the series “Consumption”), 2019, cut-out photograph in a plexiglass frame, 15 cm x 20 cm
Marta Galmozzi, Binocular Man, 2019, sculpture (photograph printed on Forex, wooden structure), 130 cm x 105 cm x 50 cm
Who are your biggest influences?
I love the theatre of Bertolt Brecht, the poetry of Mark Strand, the paintings of Edward Hopper, and the installations of Elmgreen & Dragset. Everything that contains an amount of strangeness and humor is my kind of reference.
Marta Galmozzi, Untitled (legs), 2018, sculpture, installation view at Extra City, Antwerp (BE)
Are there books or films that are an important source of inspiration?
All the movies of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, and Federico Fellini.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
To have fun.
What is the best advice you would give to other artists?
Express your diversity.
Stay up to date with Marta Galmozzi
Instagram @martagalmozzi
www.martagalmozzi.com