Regarding your educational background, could you tell us about your degree as an art restorer? Do you believe it was crucial for achieving your current career? And how did your formation journey progress?

I had just finished high school when I landed in Milan from Tuscany. My childhood dream was to become an art restorer, sparked by my fascination in Assisi, watching professionals skillfully restore vivid colors to frescoes. Initially, I planned to attend the high-level Opificio delle pietre dure school in Florence. However, while figuring out the stringent admissions process, I learned about a course at Brera, open to only twenty-eight students, focusing on the restoration of contemporary art over six years. This intrigued me more, and I participated in the selection process, fortunately securing a spot from a large pool of applicants.
Although I graduated in restoration, I never truly practiced the profession. Immersed in the vibrant world of contemporary art, I discovered another passion for curation and art criticism. I enrolled in a specific master’s program and began taking my first steps in that direction. However, I believe that an in-depth study of subjects like art history, aesthetics, color chemistry, and a hands-on approach to the artwork has enhanced my ability to interpret. I can simply discern whether a person can paint or sculpt, understanding intentional rough resolutions or detecting executive incompetence. While an extensive knowledge of materials facilitated describing and narrating certain works, I am well aware that contemporary art often diverges from purely aesthetic resolutions. My journey has been a series of events and a desire to read, see, and study. Without any true supporter backing me, I moved forward independently, reaching out to magazines for collaboration, galleries for exhibition curation, visiting studios to network and delve into the surrounding cultural scene. I’ve been very curious and always ready to genuinely commit, never leaving anything to neglect. I believe this has been the true process that has brought me to where I am today.

Sometimes, art is perceived as an institutional and elite system. Conversely, your career advocates for a fresh, fluid, and integrative approach. Do you think the Italian cultural scene is still distant from this latter vision? What measures could help dispel this perception?

I couldn’t technically access an elite because, initially, I wasn’t part of it. This, of course, closed off many paths for me, especially institutional ones, but it granted me great freedom of expression and the opportunity not to adhere to certain dictates imposed by the intellectual world. I could, therefore, support diverse approaches, less conformist, which fortunately were recognised as valid alternatives. I approached the art system, eventually becoming a part of it, showcasing competence and aiming to prioritise high-quality projects without succumbing to the allure of easy gains or swift recognition, even if it meant facing consequences without regrets. However, I believe that the Italian cultural scene is still very rigid and bound by antiquated systems and ways of doing things, often favouring old-fashioned methods of management. In the institutional world and other realms, a sort of “clientelism” persists, which I think will be challenging to dismantle. Meritocracy, well, that’s a whole other story!

Through media and social platforms, you’ve brought artistic content to a broad audience. Are there exhibitions or works from these years that you are particularly proud of?

Yes, I’ve used social media in a “young” way despite belonging to a generation that didn’t grow up with them. Honestly, I take pride in every project I’ve curated. At the expense of economic and promotional gains, I’ve given up on many things, but it has left me with the freedom to decide what to do and with whom to collaborate.