Ana Mondini - “Artfully, expanding perspectives and realities ”, by Edmundo Cavalcanti

INTERVIEW

1- Where did you born? And what is your academic training?

I was born in Curitiba-PR and I have a degree in Painting, by the School of Music and Fine Arts of Paraná (UNESPAR UNIVERSITIES) and, also Graduation, Master and Doctorate in Philosophy, by the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).

2- How and when you give your first contact with the Arts?

At ten years old, I painted my first canvas. The second painting I did, years after, When I was 19 years. And that's when I painted without warning, my first “Cosmic Woman”, through which I had a very interesting experience, that I usually consider as a kind of “connection with the Totality”.

3- How did you find this gift?

When painting my “Cosmic Women”, whose silhouette appeared several times in my paintings, and have the same sensitive experience, I realized that working with painting, with the color, would always be waiting for me to intensify perceptions already experienced or discover new ways of perceiving the world.

4- What are your main influences?

Although I am in love with many paintings, such as, for example, “The Unicorns” by Gustave Moreau, the paintings of Gustav Klimt, the Monochromes of Yves Klein, and, after “experiencing it” personally, Monalisa's Leonardo, I have always been very impressed with the chromatic and formal daring of the Henri Matisse. I believe that the latter does have a greater influence on my artistic work.

5- What materials do you use in your works?

I have a predilection for acrylic paint on canvas.

6- What is your creative process itself? What inspires you?

Lately I've been enjoying thinking about the image before representing it, although many accidents continue to occur during the process. And what has inspired me are the themes with which I decide to work, as, mainly, immediate contact with colors.

7- When you started effectively to produce or create your works?

During painting school, I rehearsed many techniques and poetics, partially defining my style. I stopped painting during my doctorate to reflect on the link between writing and painting, the words and the images, based on the self-portrait idea of ​​“Essays” by Montaigne. As soon as I delivered the final text of the thesis, I immediately started painting again, at the end of 2019. And now I paint as consistently as possible…

8- Art is an intellectual production exquisite, where emotions are embedded in the context of creation, but in art history, we see that many artists are derived from other, following technical and artistic movements through time, you own any model or influence of any artist? Who would be?

I do not have any model taken consciously and directly, but there are countless works of art that add to my enthusiasm and desire to produce paintings.

9- What does art mean to you? If you were to summarize in a few words the meaning of Arts in your life…

I understand that Art, in a general sense, be able to broaden perspectives and realities, through the various levels of sensitive signification that it offers to both the performing artist and the viewer. And, in relation to painting, in specific, I stay with Deleuze when he says that his task is “the attempt to make visible forces that are not visible” and make us see the presence.

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10- What techniques do you use to express their ideas, feelings and perceptions about the world? (Whether it is through painting, sculpture, drawing, collage, photography… or uses several techniques in order to make a mix of different art forms).

I basically use acrylic paint exploring, literally, your plasticity, with the creation of reliefs in the paintings, and I seek harmony with the combination of saturated colors.

In some cases, my paintings involve a more literal poetic field. Insect paintings, for example, inserted in the “Portals” Series, seek to bring the microcosm to higher dimensions, in both senses of the term. The “Portals” Series, as a whole, seeks to draw attention to the possible existence of parallel realities mirrored by the imagination, who, in my view, can also be considered a source of knowledge.

The “Cosmic Women” Series, on the other hand, consists of the unpremeditated representation of a sensitive experience that, It seems, shows the connection between the feminine and the creation of the world, nay, creating worlds.

The “Luminous” Series, on the other hand, breaks the frame of the poetry closest to figuration by going towards pure optical perception. In these paintings I establish a game of approximation and distance between the eye of the viewer and the LED light, promoting very interesting optical effects, that doesn't just involve the eye and the screen, but also the immediate surroundings.

11- Every artist has his mentor, that person whom you mirrored that encouraged and inspired you to follow this career you, going ahead and taking your dreams the other expression levels, who this person is and how it introduced you in the art world?

By observing closely and with great admiration the works of André Parisi, during the period that I worked in your studio, I felt a great urge to paint. And, it was right there, with some borrowed material, that I made my first “Cosmic Woman”. Of course, the honesty of the reports of the André Parisi about your experiences with your works, left me very open, nay, without the glare or blockages caused by possible prejudices, to understand the sensitive phenomenon caused by working with color.

12- You have another activity beyond art? You teaches classes, lectures etc.?

Currently, conduct the “Virtual Gallery – Philosophy & Art ”where I hold an exhibition of artists, with comments on the works, in order to encourage beginning artists, as, publicize works by artists already recognized. And, mainly, bring the general public closer to the visual arts. Recently, I posted the YouTube channel “Interviews with Artists & Related ”, in view of the same objectives.

13- Its major national and international exhibitions and their awards.

• Collective Virtual Exhibition “São Paulo that I Love”: Organized by Maria dos Anjos Oliveira (Anjos Art Gallery) and Edmundo Cavalcanti (Raphael Art Gallery), 2021.
• Collective Virtual Exhibition: “Art without Limits”: Organized by Edmundo Cavalcanti (Raphael Art Gallery), 2020.
  
• Collective Exhibition INTER_MEDIOS: Palace of the Lions, BRDE Cultural Space, Curitiba – PR, 2014.
• Collective exhibition “My screen does not crack”: Exhibition Room BAP, Curitiba – PR, 2013.
• Awarded 1st in the 3rd Visual Arts Exhibition in Paranaguá: House of Culture Monsignor Celso. Paranaguá, 2011.

14- Your plans for the future?

Breathe more and more into art through practice and history, in union with philosophy. And I would very much like to achieve a steady pace of sales of my works.

15- In your opinion what is the future of Brazilian art and its artists? (in the general context) and why so many artists are giving preference to show their work in international exhibitions despite high costs?

Although there are forces acting negatively on bringing a wider audience closer to the arts, I believe that artists are coming together, increasingly, in order to break with non-inclusive standards. And, with the strength of many, it will be perfectly possible to bring more and more viewers, encourage the continuity of artists, whether new or not, and, also, increase the number of people investing in works of art.

Regarding the preference of Brazilian artists for showing their works to the international audience, I believe that this is due, precisely, the fact that in other countries the figure of the artist has greater professional recognition. And because perhaps the consumption of art is a habit more rooted in the culture of these countries.

Social networks:

Instagram: @anamondinigaleriavirtual / Facebook: @ anamondini.galeriavirtual

Instagram: @anamondiniart / Facebook: @anamondiniart

Youtube: @Ana Mondini – Interview with Artists & Related

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EDMUNDO CAVALCANTI
São Paulo – Brasil
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Columnist at Website Obras de Arte
E-mail: cavalcanti.edmundo@gmail.com