Anna Laurini Interview
Profile
Biography
Gallery
Copyright of images belongs to the Artist.
Copyright of interview belongs to Ovenden
Contemporary (Art Promotions) Limited. Any
un-authorised use is strictly prohibited. All
rights are reserved.
(c) 2006 Ovenden Contemporary (Art Promotions)
Limited
OC: Welcome to Ovenden Contemporary Anna.
You seem to belong to several different places.
Is there anywhere that you feel at home?
AL: I used to feel at home in New York City, but since the past year I consider London home. Although, I don't think I belong anywhere really.
OC: Not even Italy?
AL: Not even Italy, as I've been living abroad for the past ten years and my identity shaped up during my travelling. When I was in Italy I was just trying to fit in to the standard and I wasn't happy. I start to discover myself only after I left Italy.
OC: So you don't want to fit in to any 'standard'? Who is Anna then?
AL: Anna is a person who honestly likes to create art and to provoke positive emotion to the viewer. Anna would like not to take too seriously herself and the world around her. Maybe I have a spoiled attitude but with a sincere purpose.
OC: Do you think your mobility has affected the way you see the world? We call it your 'tourist's perspective'. Are you able to stay partly 'remote' from your surroundings because you know that you will move on at some point?
AL: Yes. I think the advantage of moving so often is the fact that I don't feel commited to anything and anyone. Although, at the moment I like to settle down and maybe London could be the place. My art it's a mixture of places and times and is not so much the surrounding that effect it but mostly is the emotion that the surroundings evokes in me.
OC: What emotion do you derive (or hope to portray) from an empty coffee cup on a cafe table?
AL: When I draw coffee cup on a cafe table its normally in the morning when I just woke up and I feel like they are my best friend. I don't intend to retrieve any emotion, not really.
OC: The fact that you consider the coffee to be your best friend is a fairly emotional statement, or at least, tells us something about your emotional condition first thing in the morning. And you often attach such poignant phrases to these sketches such as 'Everything Looks Perfect From Far Away' or 'We Can Pretend That We're Best Friends'. Perhaps there's more emotion in those sketches than you realise? Is there intentional emotion anywhere else in your portfolio?
AL: I've done the coffee sketches last year in New York City after a terrible break-up with my ex-boyfriend. I was really sad and I would spend hours in the morning sitting in the coffee shop and sketch the emotion out of me. The phrases are quite often lyrics from a song that I was listening. I believe all my drawings and paintings are the materialization of my emotion of some sort.
OC: So there's an element of auto-therapy contained within the sketches. But what about your abstract work? What drives you to paint these pieces?
AL: In the abstract work I enjoy working with colours and texture, and I think its also a therapeutic technique.
OC: What are you trying to achieve with the abstract work? What is your inspiration?
AL: Nothing more than I'm trying to find nice combination of colours and shapes, I want to achieve a nice decorative motif that will be a pleasure for the viewer to look at. I'm not searching anything particularly deep and conceptual, maybe a sort of naive intent to look good...My inspiration are my emotions and state of mind. I dont really find inspiration from the world outside its more an inner journey.
OC: So how is it therapeutic if it's purely aesthetic?
AL: It is therapeutic for me while I'm doing it and purely aesthetic for the viewer. Although, a nice image or colour could be just as therapeutic for the creator and for the viewer.
OC: What colours affect you on an emotional level?
AL: Well my favorite colour is blue and I love it so much that when I start a painting most of the times is the first colour I use. I can easily only use blue in my abstract work, everything I do with blue always come out nice, at least for me. So blue and any tonality of it!
OC: Any others?
AL: I also work well with orange gold and red. Their combination makes me feel loyal and royal- If that makes any sense?! I feel very comfortable using metallic and pearlescent colour. They give a modern look to my painting and I feel very relaxed when I use them. I love mixing them and create some new colour and see the effect they have with the sun light. I always hope that the colour I use will create a positive reaction on me and consequentially to the viewer.
OC: Do you need to feel relaxed when you work?
AL: Yes I do. I need to feel relaxed. Actually, painting relax me. So when I start I'm not particularly relaxed. It's only while I'm doing it I get more relaxed and comfortable with myself. I actually notice that yesterday as I was working in a new painting and I felt very good during and after I painted.
OC: That's therapeutic....
AL: Yes, It's like when people get stressed for various reason and any of us has their own technique to feel better: go for a walk, watch a movie, do yoga, do meditation, talking to friends. I paint or sketch, depending on the circumstances.
OC: Do you have any future plans? Do you know where you want to be in five years, what you hope to achieve?
AL: In 5 years time, I hope to be married with a baby...and of course have my paintings at the Saatchi Gallery.
OC: We'll keep our fingers crossed for you on both counts! Thank you Anna.
AL: I used to feel at home in New York City, but since the past year I consider London home. Although, I don't think I belong anywhere really.
OC: Not even Italy?
AL: Not even Italy, as I've been living abroad for the past ten years and my identity shaped up during my travelling. When I was in Italy I was just trying to fit in to the standard and I wasn't happy. I start to discover myself only after I left Italy.
OC: So you don't want to fit in to any 'standard'? Who is Anna then?
AL: Anna is a person who honestly likes to create art and to provoke positive emotion to the viewer. Anna would like not to take too seriously herself and the world around her. Maybe I have a spoiled attitude but with a sincere purpose.
OC: Do you think your mobility has affected the way you see the world? We call it your 'tourist's perspective'. Are you able to stay partly 'remote' from your surroundings because you know that you will move on at some point?
AL: Yes. I think the advantage of moving so often is the fact that I don't feel commited to anything and anyone. Although, at the moment I like to settle down and maybe London could be the place. My art it's a mixture of places and times and is not so much the surrounding that effect it but mostly is the emotion that the surroundings evokes in me.
OC: What emotion do you derive (or hope to portray) from an empty coffee cup on a cafe table?
AL: When I draw coffee cup on a cafe table its normally in the morning when I just woke up and I feel like they are my best friend. I don't intend to retrieve any emotion, not really.
OC: The fact that you consider the coffee to be your best friend is a fairly emotional statement, or at least, tells us something about your emotional condition first thing in the morning. And you often attach such poignant phrases to these sketches such as 'Everything Looks Perfect From Far Away' or 'We Can Pretend That We're Best Friends'. Perhaps there's more emotion in those sketches than you realise? Is there intentional emotion anywhere else in your portfolio?
AL: I've done the coffee sketches last year in New York City after a terrible break-up with my ex-boyfriend. I was really sad and I would spend hours in the morning sitting in the coffee shop and sketch the emotion out of me. The phrases are quite often lyrics from a song that I was listening. I believe all my drawings and paintings are the materialization of my emotion of some sort.
OC: So there's an element of auto-therapy contained within the sketches. But what about your abstract work? What drives you to paint these pieces?
AL: In the abstract work I enjoy working with colours and texture, and I think its also a therapeutic technique.
OC: What are you trying to achieve with the abstract work? What is your inspiration?
AL: Nothing more than I'm trying to find nice combination of colours and shapes, I want to achieve a nice decorative motif that will be a pleasure for the viewer to look at. I'm not searching anything particularly deep and conceptual, maybe a sort of naive intent to look good...My inspiration are my emotions and state of mind. I dont really find inspiration from the world outside its more an inner journey.
OC: So how is it therapeutic if it's purely aesthetic?
AL: It is therapeutic for me while I'm doing it and purely aesthetic for the viewer. Although, a nice image or colour could be just as therapeutic for the creator and for the viewer.
OC: What colours affect you on an emotional level?
AL: Well my favorite colour is blue and I love it so much that when I start a painting most of the times is the first colour I use. I can easily only use blue in my abstract work, everything I do with blue always come out nice, at least for me. So blue and any tonality of it!
OC: Any others?
AL: I also work well with orange gold and red. Their combination makes me feel loyal and royal- If that makes any sense?! I feel very comfortable using metallic and pearlescent colour. They give a modern look to my painting and I feel very relaxed when I use them. I love mixing them and create some new colour and see the effect they have with the sun light. I always hope that the colour I use will create a positive reaction on me and consequentially to the viewer.
OC: Do you need to feel relaxed when you work?
AL: Yes I do. I need to feel relaxed. Actually, painting relax me. So when I start I'm not particularly relaxed. It's only while I'm doing it I get more relaxed and comfortable with myself. I actually notice that yesterday as I was working in a new painting and I felt very good during and after I painted.
OC: That's therapeutic....
AL: Yes, It's like when people get stressed for various reason and any of us has their own technique to feel better: go for a walk, watch a movie, do yoga, do meditation, talking to friends. I paint or sketch, depending on the circumstances.
OC: Do you have any future plans? Do you know where you want to be in five years, what you hope to achieve?
AL: In 5 years time, I hope to be married with a baby...and of course have my paintings at the Saatchi Gallery.
OC: We'll keep our fingers crossed for you on both counts! Thank you Anna.
