- BY ISSIMO
- December 5, 2023
on plywood 59,5x42cm Ed.1
“I sometimes feel like an archaeologist; digging out different images, taking them out of their original context and giving them another context,” says Ala d’Amico from her studio in Rome, reflecting on her mixed-media art practice and her focus on silkscreen printing over the last few years.
The Rome-based, Brazilian-Italian artist’s work captures the nuances and mysteries of the natural world: rocks, flowers, weeds, ancient stones, untouched landscapes, and beyond. These elements exist all around us, and yet, they often go unnoticed. That is, of course, until we stand in front of one of Ala’s silkscreen or mixed-media works, which invite us to slow down and consider our environment in a new light. Exploring the role of the ‘silent witness’ in nature, her works are immersive visual narratives that experiment with imagery, colour and silhouettes.
on plywood 120x80cm Ed.1
From photography to printmaking
After studying photography in London and then New York, Ala became more intrigued by the process of appropriating existing and found imagery from books, newspapers and archives as opposed to creating new images with her camera. She believes that society is oversaturated with images, to the point where our senses are completely overwhelmed by what our eye ‘consumes’ everyday without even realising.
“I came from a background of photography, and I thought I always wanted to be a photographer. But then I realised we are so submerged in images everyday, and the feeling of taking other new images felt really heavy to me. Instead, I gradually started to become more interested in working with existing images, especially images of nature, and seeing how they can be arranged to create new meaning,” she says.
By chance, Ala reconnected with the art of printmaking through the creative collective of friends, and mentors in New York. In particular, silkscreen printing became a fascinating expressive medium for her, offering endless possibilities to experiment with colours, layers and modifications within one single image.
“It [silkscreen] almost gives you too many possibilities,” she says.
on plywood 59,5x42cm Ed.1
Finding the stillness in chaos
Despite what the artist calls the “chaos and intensity” of Rome – the city where she grew up and currently lives and works – she is deeply attuned to a sense of silence and stillness in her immediate environment and the natural world around her. Whether it’s a delicate cluster of spring blossoms, or a mass of Roman travertine stone bearing centuries of narratives in its layers, Ala’s work captures a vision of nature’s unrefined mystique, making her compositions both subtle and compelling. She counts American artists Robert Rauchenberg, R.H Quaytman and Trisha Donnelly among her artistic idols, inspired by their approach to incorporating ‘everyday’ objects as both subject matter and art materials in themselves.
Rome’s new creative chapter
Working from ORME (in Rome’s Via Michelangelo Caetani) the art studio she founded in autumn 2021, Ala has established a creative collective of visual artists and photographers who fill the space with ideas, energy and artwork, much like the collaborative studio environments she experienced in New York. She reflects on her complex personal relationship to the city of Rome; growing up there, moving away at the age of 17, and recently returning again to live again with her family during the pandemic.
“I have to say, Rome is a place that always represents ‘home’ for me. When I was growing up I had a perception that the city was quite frantic and I found it challenging in some ways, but I do think it is changing, and so is my relationship to it,” says Ala.
“I feel like Rome is coming into a new chapter. Yes, it’s still extremely crowded and a little chaotic, but a lot of artists in particular are exploring new structures, new ways of working and new ways of engaging with the city through their work,” she says.
on plywood 120x80cm Ed.1
While Ala’s art practice will continue to evolve organically based on exploration, discovery and collaboration through ORME, a recent experience teaching silkscreen printing at NABA in Rome (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti) has inspired her to explore more opportunities to share her artistic skills, knowledge and experience with students and the city’s wider creative community.
“I really enjoyed my silkscreen printing teaching experience. It felt like an opportunity to give back, and I had a very positive response from the students. Seeing the joy they received from improving their skills and output was really satisfying for me.”
“Photographers have an ego. Printers have a secret,” says Ala, referencing a favourite quote from one of her former university professors. It seems to capture the mystique of her own silkscreen artworks and of course, her curiosity about the world around her that is poignantly expressed in each of her compositions.
DISCOVER ROME WITH ALA D’AMICO
Where does Ala go in Rome to ignite her curiosity and revive her creative inspiration?
“I love to visit The Botanical Gardens of Rome, which are located in my own neighbourhood of Trastevere. I also tell people to visit an artist studio space called STUDIOLI in the northern part of the city by the Tiber River. The space was created by two artists, Alessandro Cicoria and Valerie Giampietro, and they invite other artists to work from there, undertake residencies and reinterpret the space. I won’t say too much in case I ruin the magic. But it’s an absolutely incredible space and a must-visit spot in Rome.”
