“Sometimes the Best Artworks Arise from Leftovers”
Flavio, your exhibition is called “Branching Spheres.” Could you briefly explain what visitors can expect?
The exhibition consists of fragmentary images that, with their complex and detailed structures, evoke a wide range of associations. Small imperfections and fragility are part of the works. There is also a film installation in which, for example, tree canopies are mirrored or experiments with frozen ink are shown. In this way, various connections are woven between different fractal structures. Branching spheres can be seen everywhere, in one way or another.
You work with a special casting technique. How does this process work?
For the casts, I need a smooth and solid surface. All of the exhibited works were cast on a mirror. I first paint on the surface, with the consistency of the paint having a major influence on the final image. I use different black paints, which may look similar but react very differently to the casting material, which consists of either plaster or a calcium sulfate mixture. During casting, movements emerge that are captured – pigments drift apart, dissolve, and recall tectonic and spherical dynamics.
Your technique sounds like a mixture of control and letting go. How much can be planned, and how much is left to chance?
It’s classic experimentation: I have an idea of how certain images might develop, but in the end they often evolve in completely different ways – sometimes disappointing, sometimes all the more interesting. If something turns out particularly well, I try to repeat the process using the same paint consistency and casting technique, which only works to a limited extent, since even the smallest variations can lead to large differences. Interestingly, the best works often arise spontaneously, when there’s just a little plaster left and I decide to try something new.
Your works evoke fractal structures, like those seen in nature or mathematics. What fascinates you about fractals?
I have always found it interesting that my approach to fractals arises through intuition and observation, while fractals are at the same time highly complex and used in computer hardware and algorithms. Fractals are everywhere around us, even within us, yet the relationships between these structures are rarely seen.
Do you see a connection between your artworks and digital topics such as computer science or networks?
In the digital realm, highly complex structures are often packaged simply and cleanly. In my work, complexity is rather exposed, which can sometimes appear chaotic, yet still follows an underlying order. This creates numerous aesthetic connections to networks and data structures, which are sometimes arranged like trees. There are nodes, paths, interfaces, and, of course, branches.
Films will also be shown at the vernissages. What role does moving imagery play in the exhibition and in your work in general?
While it’s beautiful to capture things, sometimes it’s simply more beautiful to let them move, which is why I have increasingly worked with film installations over the past four years. The films usually emerge on an experimental, playful basis, with an almost naive openness. I allow myself to drift with the camera and discover even more in the process. This gives the work a raw quality, which is later carefully composed and installed.
What does art mean to you?
I am always amazed that our perception fundamentally shapes how we live, how we make decisions, and how our worldview develops. Yet we rarely engage with our senses. We only perceive what we are receptive to. Since our perceptual filters are random, we can consciously become aware of them, supplement, alter, or replace them if we wish. Those who wish to learn to see without immediately having to recognize can expose themselves to what is not pre-filtered. We need encounters with others, encounters with things that break from the routine of everyday life – for example, encounters with art.