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1. Your artistic journey has evolved through painting, photography and video art. How have these different forms of expression shaped the development of your artistic language?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
I began my artistic journey with drawing and painting, which have always been and remain my greatest passions. I later turned to photography and video art, disciplines I also began teaching relatively early in my career. This led me to observe reality with a different, more attentive gaze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I believe that each medium has enriched the others. Painting gave me a sense of composition, colour and light, while photography and video taught me to perceive time, movement and narrative. All these experiences have ultimately converged in my work, allowing me to apply the skills I developed through drawing and painting to digital video and animation, both technically and expressively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nStudio<\/em> of Stefano Trappolini<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The symbol has been at the centre of my artistic research for the past sixteen years. I chose to work with the silhouette of a walking man, and it is important to emphasise that it is always the exact same figure, repeated again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a fundamental aspect of my visual language. Unlike artists who work with a multitude of different silhouettes, I decided to entrust my entire research to a single, essential and recognisable image. My background in graphic design naturally led me towards synthesis, to reducing the figure to its most fundamental elements. The initial inspiration came from Van Gogh\u2019s The Prisoners\u2019 Round<\/em>, in which a group of men walks in a circle in a movement that seems to have no end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That image affected me deeply because it contained an idea of time, repetition and the human condition. From that moment onwards, I began using the figure as a symbol capable of moving through my work, entering into dialogue with colour, gesture and space. Over time, I sought to make this language increasingly essential, until the silhouette became almost a kind of \u201ccaption\u201d: a sign that accompanies the reading of the work and helps the viewer enter my visual universe without imposing a single, definitive meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years, this research has also expanded into installation. I have created large-scale works in which the walking figure occupies the space and invites the public to interact with it. The viewer can move through the work, become part of it and, in a sense, continue the journey. The symbol therefore no longer represents simply the movement of a man. It becomes a shared experience, one in which the viewer themselves becomes the protagonist of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My educational background played a decisive role in the construction of this language. I studied graphic design and photography before pursuing painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. These experiences profoundly influenced the way I understand the image and the sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the series Geometrie<\/em> and Lettere e Sagome<\/em>, letters, geometric forms and signs emerge directly from this graphic foundation. I am interested in their ability to synthesise an idea and construct an essential visual language, in which every element possesses a strong identity while simultaneously entering into a relationship with the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Letters are no longer simply alphabetical characters, and forms are no longer merely geometric structures. They become open signs, capable of evoking meanings, suggesting different paths of interpretation and creating a dialogue with the viewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The CostellAzioni<\/em> project follows a different path. It grew out of my interest in astronomy and ancient celestial maps. I studied the constellations and also worked in dialogue with scientists at the Planetarium of Rome, seeking to reinterpret the ancient mythological readings that, over centuries, have given shape and meaning to the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was fascinated by the idea that human beings have always felt the need to connect stars through imaginary lines in order to construct stories and attribute meaning to the universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This research led me to reflect on the sky as a vast space of memory, imagination and knowledge. That is why I chose Tutto il cielo possibile<\/em>, All the Sky Possible<\/em>, as the title of one of the exhibitions devoted to this body of work. The title expresses a desire to explore not only the physical sky, but also the inner sky: a realm of symbols, myths and possibilities of interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An open space for interpretation is fundamental to my work. I believe that every work of art should remain open to countless meanings and interpretations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A work that has only one meaning does not interest me. I find it useless and banal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Colour and materiality play a fundamental role in my work, above all colour. I do not begin with a predetermined palette. Colours emerge from the emotion I want to convey and from the particular moment in which I am making the work. I tend towards warm colours because I feel they reflect more closely the way I see the world and my own state of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The surface is also an integral part of the creative process. I work both on canvas and on board, preparing the supports so that they already possess a subtle material quality. I am interested in the surface never being neutral, but instead entering into dialogue with colour and gesture and contributing to the construction of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am always looking for a balance between material, colour and emotion. My intention is to create a dialogue capable of involving the viewer, but I also believe that the meaning of a work is completed in the gaze of another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can bring all my research and sensitivity to the work, but ultimately it is the viewer who tells me whether that emotion has truly reached them. In the end, a work only comes fully alive when someone looks at it and interprets it through their own experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I believe that art is one thing. The tools and languages may change, but what matters is the research and that research must be approached with respect, curiosity and continuous study. Throughout my career, I have always sought to bring different disciplines into dialogue, allowing each one to enrich the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photography, for example, taught me to look more carefully at framing, composition and the balance of an image. These are elements I later encountered in video and video art, where the dimensions of time and movement are added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These experiences have profoundly influenced the way I paint. My painting is never static. I like to think of it as painting in constant movement, almost kinetic in nature. Movement is suggested by the repetition of the walking figure, but also by the drips, marks and trajectories that cross the surface of the work. These elements guide the eye and create a sense of internal time a rhythm that invites the viewer to follow a visual journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, whether I am working with photography, video or painting, my objective remains the same: to create images that are never entirely still, but continue to live and transform themselves through the gaze of the person observing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Memory and perception are fundamental themes within my research because, ultimately, I believe that we are made of memory. Every experience we live through leaves a trace and contributes to the construction of our identity. My works therefore often emerge from what happens to me, from what I have experienced and from the emotions I continue to carry with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I work, I feel that I am creating a kind of future memory: a trace that remains, a testimony that may be received by those who come after me. I tell my own story, but I do so in the hope that it might also become an opportunity for reflection for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not believe memory exists simply to preserve the past. Its deeper purpose is to help us understand the present and imagine the future. It is through memory that we grow, both as individuals and as communities. Collective memory naturally enters my work as well, because every personal experience is intertwined with history, culture and events that belong to all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am interested in this continuous dialogue between individual experience and shared experience. It is no coincidence that one of my works, now held by the Civic Gallery of Contemporary Art in Termoli, is titled Altra memoria e non basta ancora<\/em>\u2014Another Memory, and It Is Still Not Enough<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The title captures the essence of my research: memory is never something completed or definitive. It is an ever-evolving process, one that continues to question the present and open up new possibilities of interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching photography and cinematography, which I have pursued for many years and continue to this day, has been a fundamental part of both my human and artistic journey. It has allowed me to continually expand the horizons of my research and, above all, to maintain an ongoing dialogue with younger generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I believe teaching is always a reciprocal exchange. My students learn from me, but I learn just as much from them. They bring enthusiasm, new perspectives and an instinctive familiarity with emerging technologies, particularly in animation and new visual languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This continuous exchange is a valuable stimulus that also feeds my artistic research. When the time eventually comes for me to leave teaching, it will certainly be a difficult transition, because my relationship with young people represents an inexhaustible source of energy and growth. That is why I would like to continue sharing my experience through lectures, workshops and other educational projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am convinced that dialogue between generations is essential. It matters to young people, who can engage with the experience of those who came before them, but it is equally important for us, because it helps us remain curious, open to change and capable of seeing the world with fresh eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I believe the role of painting and contemporary art is more important today than ever. We live immersed in a continuous stream of digital images and content moving rapidly across social media and the web. It is an immediate form of communication, often effective, but it rarely gives us the time we need to stop and reflect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is precisely why, in recent years, I have felt a strong need to return to painting\u2014to a physical, material form of painting capable of establishing a direct relationship with the viewer. You cannot simply scroll past a work of art with your finger. You have to stop. You have to look. You have to allow yourself to become involved. It is in that moment that a dialogue begins between the work and the person standing before it. I think there is a profound need today for materiality, for presence, for something tangible that restores value to time and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although this language may appear less immediate than the speed of digital imagery, I believe that its very slowness is its strength. Art should offer us a space in which to slow down, think and ask questions.I also believe that artists have a social responsibility. We cannot simply produce images. We must seek to stimulate thought, awaken consciousness and create opportunities for reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a responsibility I feel deeply, and one I also try to communicate to my students.Young generations have access to an extraordinary amount of information, but often the real difficulty is not finding it. It is learning how to select it, understand it and use it consciously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That, too, is part of visual education. For this reason, I have always tried to create works that demand time, attention and participation. I have never painted for a distracted gaze. When someone encounters one of my works for the first time, I would like them to sit down and look at it. And I am convinced they would not remain indifferent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You want to discover more?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n2. The symbol is central to your artistic research. When did you begin to regard the sign and the symbol as instruments capable of communicating ideas and emotions?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. In series such as CostellAzioni<\/em>, Geometrie e Lettere<\/em> and Sagome<\/em>, letters, forms and signs become a language in their own right. What meanings do these elements acquire within your work?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Your works often exist somewhere between abstraction and recognisability. How important is it for you to leave the viewer with an open space for interpretation?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5. Colour and materiality play a fundamental role in your work. How do you choose colours, surfaces and textures? What relationship do you create between material and emotion?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
6. Photography and cinema have influenced your artistic journey. How do the concepts of image, movement and time enter into your practice?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
7. Memory and perception appear to be recurring themes in your work. How do personal experience and collective memory influence your creative process?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
8. You have also devoted an important part of your career to teaching photography and cinematography. How does your dialogue with younger generations influence the way you see and create art?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
9. In a world dominated by the constant production of digital images and accelerated communication, what role can painting and contemporary art still play?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
As I like to say: I have never made art for lazy eyes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n10. When someone encounters one of your works for the first time, what would you like them to feel, question or discover?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n