No matter from which culture we come, one thing is in common - educations matters. I believe that most of us, in our teenage years haven't got that right. We believed that it is important but mostly saw it as another push from our parents to be a good kid. That kid that gets praised at home reunions. But now our generation of Millennials seems to learn it in a harder way.
Which type of content we consume deeply affects our everyday life. It affects our emotional and psychological well-being. It interferes with our core beliefs, it plays with our values. And what's more valuable than a happy mind and a healthy body? Nothing.
In a world where we are easily influenced, let's pick our sources. Let's stick with people who will point towards our mistakes. The people who dedicated our their life towards creating a time-proof value. One of those people is Federico Clapis, and we bring to you our nice conversation.
Where are you from? Where does the art journey start for you?
I live in Milan, Italy.
When I was about twenty, I discovered art as a means of exploring hidden parts of myself. A long period of experimentation began from that time.
The first small sculpture I made at the age of 10, an accumulation of toys on a marble slab unknowingly marked the beginning of something.
What is the first emotion that drives you towards creating an art piece? Do you recognize the connection immediately and let yourself flow on the creative process? Or do you "bake" the inspiration for some time?
I'm not inspired by anything of exists, my inspiration is driven by my internal sensations and states of mind
Through my work, I create a channel of communication between myself and the manifestation of my inner self, conscious and unconscious states, which need more or less intense moments to emerge.
Art allows me to discover hidden parts of me as a human being and my soul. Artworks come to me as finite images and reveal something that would be inexplicable by words.
The relationship between man and technology, for example, it is a theme that characterizes my best-known works, through which I want to express a timeless human condition.
What is the back story of your design? Because every one of us sees the world through separate lenses. How hard it must be to transfer it to other people?
Probably the most iconic works could be partly influenced by the Street Art and the most cryptic series, partly influenced by the 50s.
But I think they are very unconscious influences, which I don't take care of my creative process.
I can affirm that my art has found its expression from 2017 when with the use of Instagram I started to constantly invite the user to share their feelings and reflections in the comments, his this way, it becomes an extension of the work itself.
When it comes to making a living from your art, what are the main struggles? And what would be your advice for starting artists?
The main difficulty is learning to say no to wrong situations, to say no to situations that take you away from your integrity, not only artistic and expressive but also human.
And work only with people who flow into your own vibes and everything then slowly takes shape also from the point of view of the healers
My advice is to be less abstract in the real life, so it means to practice also other jobs to learn competencies of self-management, business, and communications management because we are going towards a future where artists will be more independent.
What do you prefer, single pieces or storytelling through a whole project? And what approach do you use in each case?
Both things, there are projects that are born before telling a single work, there are larger projects that also become performative over time and therefore require a different narrative and communication.
Social media help me a lot to highlight the different work and communication processes of each individual artistic project.
Why do you use certain materials? What connects you with them, and makes you feel they are perfect for your art piece?
The materials I use are an inherent part of what my work wants to express. Sometimes I use them to explore and discover new, unknown experiences and convey new meanings.
This is one aspect of my work that gives me joy and pushes me to always try different materials.
What does ART, in general, mean to you?
My work literally saves my life so everything that comes with it even if it requires daily management, becomes a therapeutic and intimate practice.
Through my work, I create a channel of communication between myself and the manifestation of my inner self, conscious and unconscious states, which need more or less intense moments to emerge.
To inspire, and to be inspired. To create and consume. To love and communicate.
All of these actions feel so easy when the right words are said. When the right values have been set.
In the world of mass production of everything around us, we love to look at people who do it their way. The people who set and explore their path, and stand for the good in this world.
The FOURLINEdesign team would like to thank Federico Clapis for sharing inspiring thoughts with our community.