Artist’s statement – GLORIA MANNAZZU

“I search for what I don’t know I am looking for, what is inside of me that will surprise me: some revelations, some observations, some reflections, universal and personal truths. I expand what I see, what I perceive, what is unconscious, unspoken, unrevealed and encrypted. Through artworks and poems, I can create parallel worlds filled of personalities, characters talking to each other, elements, symbolism, hidden treasures and possible solutions and suggestions for living.

I often paint on paper using acrylic, tempera, watercolours and coloured pencils. I sometimes have an inner vision of a detail or the main structure of the work, other times, I start with a sign, choosing a particular colour and I build on that. I look for novelty, new stories, new characters, new revelations. I am inspired by philosophy, psychology, poetry, concepts of spiritual evolution as well as limits of rational thinking, what is there to help us describe, imbibe and develop.

My work is a proposal for self-discovery, a corridor through which one can take steps to look into the unknown, hidden inside of us, shared universally with everyone. It is also an exercise of self-abstraction: to imagine realities based on common experiences but that are uniquely somewhere else, extrinsic, in a way, but still relatable.”