Elisa Seitzinger: on the surface
In 2023, I directed the video for Elisa Seitzinger's performance, "Sacro Fuoco," where a horse, guided through the Cavallerizza Reale in Turin, elegantly traversed the octagonal space adorned with a crafted drapery illustrated by the artist. The video was showcased during Elisa Seitzinger's personal exhibition, "Sacro Fuoco," held precisely in this venue. A few months later, Elisa welcomed me into her home, just steps away from her Turin studio. During the photo session, our conversation delved into various facets of her artistic journey, ongoing projects, and her vision. Below, I highlight some significant moments from this engaging dialogue.
Photo and video: Lorenzo Morandi
Conversation: Lorenzo Morandi, Elisa Seitzinger
LM:
"Sacro Fuoco” was a powerful exhibition, marking a crucial moment in your artistic exploration and maturation. Your works, with their diverse forms and purposes, found a complete poetic dimension here. How does producing commissioned work differ from creating without a specific client?
ES:
For me, the absence of a commission primarily means the freedom to experiment with new languages. In "Sacro Fuoco,” my goal was to move my drawings beyond the realms of illustration or design in a strict sense. Especially in the riding arena installation, I crafted a site-specific immersive artwork and a performance, all stemming from my black and white drawings, my raw material, akin to marble for a sculptor or a poet's distinctive lexicon. I expanded them on a large scale, not just by printing on fabric but by presenting them to the audience through the video you directed. However, I believe this exploration wouldn't be possible without years of commissioned work. Working collaboratively in design, for example, is an excellent training ground to experiment with non-traditional mediums. Editorial work, especially magazine covers, inserts, or books, is crucial because it demands creating powerful and concise images with both communicative and content-rich aspects in a short time. Posters, too, provide another realm where I enjoy expressing myself.
LM:
Your work is two-dimensional not just in terms of surface but especially in the significance of line, stroke, and contours. I like to think this choice aims to bring together the various references in your work on the same plane, emerging from a depth that the observer couldn't fully understand. Could the surface be the true space for constructing meaning?
ES:
Absolutely, I don't believe my drawings open windows to other worlds, at least not in the physical sense. My drawings exist, materialize in their graphic essence, hyper-defined, with depth created solely through the calibration of flat tints, without the trompe l'oeil of chiaroscuro. Sometimes depth doesn't exist at all. Aesthetic meaning lies in iconographic significance, the unsettling, the fairy-tale, the symbolic, decorative details, the energy of color, or pure black and white.
LM:
Your unique perspective draws from a universe of references and symbols spanning distant cultures, both in space and time, merging seamlessly with the contemporary. Everything is a blend of influences in a continuous redefinition of the world, conveyed through the surface. This synthesis is subjective and ever-evolving rather than unambiguous or definitive.
ES:
The contamination with contemporaneity happens spontaneously without premeditation. I am simply a product of my times, like everyone else. Often, I am asked to address current themes in my illustrations. Additionally, I draw by hand but color digitally, so everything has a contemporary output. What I premeditate is the formal dialogue with the past and its iconography, constantly evolving and integrating. I initially drew inspiration from medieval or pre-Renaissance art, primitive art, and now I'm open to various artistic periods: classical art, art deco, folk aspects of popular art like ex-votos and tarot. Initially, I used only primary colors; now, I try to use or "perfect" ever-new palettes. Moreover, the archetypal view of my characters, often depicted without irises and pupils like ancient statues, aims to make them both subjective and universal. Nobody can fully reflect themselves in my drawings as individuals, but perhaps someone will see themselves in the role dynamics. Rather than nostalgic art, it's more globalized, as you aptly put it, across time and space. Plus, I always strive to convey that dreamlike, magical, mysterious sensation that fascinates me and transcends reality.
LM:
On this balmy and sunlit Saturday in early February, the windows generously bathe the surroundings in a gentle, diffused light, an ideal setting for this photoshoot. Your home reflects your personality in every detail, yet none of your works are hanging on the walls, nor are there ongoing projects. Instead, there are numerous elements speaking of you and your world.
ES:
Elisa Seitzinger is one of the many Elisas that exist. I am Elisa Seitzinger for many hours a day, sometimes for entire days on end. Simultaneously, at different moments of the day, there is Elisa with her real surname, who, as a child, wanted to be an archaeologist like Indiana Jones, dreams of visiting Japan today, loves animals, nature, traveling, cinema, rock concerts, doing Pilates, snowfall (but only skiing if the weather is good), hates grocery shopping, driving, overly blue skies, especially in the city, crowds, like those on Italian beaches in August, staying home on Sundays. There's also Elisa as a mother, partner, daughter, sister, friend to people who may not fully understand what the other Elisa does for a living, at least not all of them, and it's not guaranteed that they appreciate her drawings or follow her on Instagram. Returning to the house, in my other imaginary lives, I'd like to be a singer (impossible, I'm terribly off-key) or an interior designer, more plausible. I like that my house is green, literally filled with plants because it relaxes me. It's a work in progress with my partner, a place that guests enjoy. My house also has many beautiful books to flip through and objects I collect because they reflect my aesthetic taste. My works, on the other hand, are stored rather than exhibited, in my studio, a short walk from home, a modest corner of mental focus with a cluttered desk, some prints on the white walls, and a gigantic drawing cabinet so full that I might not be able to close it soon. All of this amidst other desks personalized by my friends and co-workers. My works are souvenirs of a process; I don't need to surround myself with them at home, but rather archive them to make room for what's to come.
Sacro Fuoco (trailer): video performance by Elisa Seitzinger
Directed by Lorenzo Morandi
Set design installation: Elisa Seitzinger
Creative Consulting: Tommaso Delmastro
Sound design: Persia Puro
Costume design: Abracadabra Puro and Elisa Seitzinger
Location: Cavallerizza Reale, Turin
Starring: Elisa Seitzinger and Vossia, Laudina Riding Club
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