Restore

Disfigure

Paris, November 2018

18 lino etching prints on paper (21x29,7 cm)

From photographs of sculptures of the Cloître Saint Trophime in Arles, I etched faces. I was fascinated by the way these faces from their columns could be in another space in time, looking at you passing through the arches.

They made me think of my friends from Bologna, always under the arcades, and always looking absent but always omniscient, looking at you with dreamy eyes like from another world.

In the middle of these scultpures' faces, I etched my grand father, being like Angelo this very special person to me, as strong and made of stone, as vulnerable through harsh experiences or death approaching.

I feared his disappearance, as much as I adored him, both these reasons make me want to etch or paint portraits.

I wanted to restore these damaged faces, and I did so with painting.