Set to open at West End Art Space this Saturday, the collection of works is inspired by a recent trip to Italy, during which Anna had the opportunity to study the Martenot Method, a unique philosophy of art centred on reawakening creativity.
The multifaceted artist – whose parents migrated from Palena, in Abruzzo, in the ’50s – was awarded a Fellowship from the International Specialised Skills Institute, Australia, to travel and undertake the course in Milan.
Anna explained that she was living and studying in Milan’s answer to the vibrant Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, making for a unique and stimulating month abroad.
“It was a great opportunity to see some of the galleries in Milan and I came across a lot of inspiring artists,” she added.
Anna had the privilege of being taught by a former student of Ginette Martenot, the founder of the Martenot Method.
The course involved mark making on floor-to-ceiling blackboards and interpreting different artworks in order to better understand one’s creative process.
“Any exposure you have in art is a stepping stone to further developing yourself as an artist,” Anna said.
“Sometimes it’s an intangible experience and it’s more about an internal growth which gives you strength and helps you understand your creative process in a more assertive way.”
Anna’s latest body of works reflects the knowledge that she acquired as a result of this experience and the pieces focus on her capacity of line, mark making and gesture to connect mind and body through movement.
“The works have been pulled and stretched across using bodily gestures,” she said.
“I attempted to achieve a sense of space and harmony in the placement of the shapes – but they’re not placed, they’re pulled and stretched and sewn together.”
Anna used fabrics, paper and other found objects on the canvases, and the layering of these materials further evokes the body’s natural alignments and proportions.
The exhibition’s name, which is Italian for “gesture”, derives from the fact that Anna’s studies focused on this very concept.
“It’s a very expansive and poignant word because we as a human race create gestures all the time, whether it be through sign or through writing or humanitarian connections,” Anna explained.
The time Anna spent on each piece varies from a couple of hours to a week, and she also created a series of ceramic pots which are tied in to the collection by colour.
Anna explained that creating an abstract work of art is a complex process, sometimes even more complex than real life works.
“With real life the object is there and exists, but with abstract art it’s completely different because different artists work in different ways,” she said.
“To construct a work which has all of the same elements as a realistic painting is just as complicated because you need to interpret it so that it reads well.”
In fact, Anna’s work is all about creating a sense of harmony, both psychologically and spiritually.
This is achieved through the arrangement of the shapes in her work, which Anna makes appealing to the eye in a way that even somebody who knows nothing about art can appreciate.
“I hope that when people view the works they feel a sense of harmony,” she concluded.
‘Gesto’ will be showing at West End Art Space from August 4 to 25. For more information, visit the gallery’s website.
