Lucrezia Costa is one of ArtConnect’s Artists to Watch '22

Since Lucrezia Costa (b.1996, Rome) decided to enter inside the “selva oscura” that Dante faces at the beginning of his journey in the Divina Commedia she defines herself as an uncomfortable crack. The Bachelor degree in Photography, the Master degree in Visual Arts and Critical Studies and the pandemic emergency accelerated the process, like an earthquake that generates fractures in a solid wall. She is exploring the depth and all the crossroads generated inside a rupture that is constantly changing and deepening through nature and the earth element. Through her practice, she tries to bring on the surface pieces of what she found in the abyss with the aim and hope of creating shocking waves. Lately the artist has been deeply connected to earth and she’s trying to understand the deep relationship that keeps bringing her to everything undertaken, hidden or trapped in the geologic strata formed throughout deep time.

ArtConnect asked the winning artists to share with us a glimpse into their creative life to get a sense of their personal inspiration and artistic process.

How did you get started as an artist?

I started as an artist with photography. I had to channel a lot of unexpressed energy and I needed a technical and immediate medium. I had a scientific formation so I couldn't really make anything with my hands. But then, with the help of good professors in academy and while exploring other media, I started to understand I could use different tools in order to express the messages I work on, so I decided to expand my practice and embrace video, performances and site-specific installations.

How would you describe your artistic approach?

What really matters in my practice is the process. Most of the times I start with an idea and while I develop the project, it changes with me. We grow together and it becomes something new everyday, until I find the right estethics, the one that match with the concept. It happens sometimes that I make a lot of tries before arriving at the final result, and this is the reason why some of my works are divided in "part 1" "part 2" and so on.

And how about what inspires you?

First of all I'm inspired by the enviroment I'm in. All my works are influenced by how my body and my mind perceive the sorrounding. I strongly believe the artist is a filter that go through reality and has the courage to leave the reality go through him. So I guess it's a permanent and dynamic exchange between the outside and the inside.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist?

The first biggest challenge is to be myself everyday and not let anything or anyone change my fragility and sensitivity. Secondly, in the world we live in, I reckon that being honest is another big challenge and I need to be honest in order to feel good with myself and with the world. In the end there is the constant challenge, as an emerging artist, to be trustworthy and reliable and I'm doing all I can to make people understand that I am both.

Describe a typical day in the studio/wherever you make your work.

When I arrive at my studio I start to read when I am in the mood to listen, or to write when I am in the mood to make an action and then I alternate some intellectual activities to practical things, like working with clay, concrete, sand or felt (it depends on the materials I'm working on during a specific project).

Is there a medium, a process, or a technique that you haven't used in your work yet but would like to try out?

I know it can sound weird, but I have never drawn and I would love to try sometimes. I don't have a good relationship with painting since it's too damp, but I would like to give a chance to drawing definitely.

What are you currently working on? Or an upcoming project you want to mention?

I'm working on two projects about time passing and the perception humans have of time. They are called "Rise into decline" and "E se non succede niente?" (translation: "And if nothing happens?"). Then I'm working on a photographic serie called "Daimon" about the perception of body in western cultures. These works will be displayed in a solo show titled "On the fault line" at Jardino, an art gallery in Milan from 1st of April. Then I will exhibit in a show about mental health from the 25th of March at Lo Spazio Bianco Galleria in Milan. I have other projects for the second part of the year and I will keep you updated if they work! Finger crossed!

How does it feel to be selected as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch?

It is a huge honor and pleasure. Having the possibility to be featured as an ArtConnect Artist to Watch means that someone had the patience and the curiosity to watch my work with attention. Moreover it means that what I do is interesting for someone and this is a huge recognition and the beginning of a new journey.

Anything else you want to add?

Thanks for the amazing opportunity!

See more of Lucrezia Costa’s work

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