FROM SCENOGRAPHY TO JEWELRY: AN INTERVIEW WITH LAURA VOLPI

Laura Volpi's journey from the scenographic stages of Milan's Accademia di Brera to the intimate scale of art jewelry is a story of beauty and transformation.

Born in Milan in 1969, Laura's early career in set design laid a foundation for her exploration of space and form, but it was under the tutelage of Arnaldo Pomodoro and Davide De Paoli at the Tam Center (Centro TAM: Trattamento Artistico dei Metalli) where her fascination with the sculptural potential of metal began to take wearable shape.

This period of intense learning and experimentation was punctuated by a significant personal challenge – an accident that temporarily forced out of action, but also life-changingly led her to the more delicate and introspective world of jewelry.

In her Milanese workshop, opened in 1993, Volpi's approach to jewelry is marked by a sculptor's sensibility. Her work is characterized by a meticulous study of volume and a quest for the sensation of movement within the static medium of metal, the nature of form and the dynamics of perception.

The influence of her mentors, combined with inspirations from artists like Henry Moore (a British sculptor and artist, celebrated for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures, often showcasing his fascination with the human figure and organic forms) and the principles of Arte Povera (meaning "Poor Art" in Italian, which emerged in the late 1960s as a radical avant-garde movement, marked by the use of unconventional materials such as earth, rocks, clothing, paper, and industrial debris, reflecting a rejection of the commercialization of art, seeking to blur the lines between art and life, advocating for a return to basic values and a direct engagement with the physicality of materials), infuse her creations with a distinct identity that bridges the organic and the geometric.

The ring from Laura Volpi's collection Terra, with its raw stone and metal interplay, is the perfect representation of Laura's creative philosophy: interaction of various disciplines, techniques, shapes, emotions and materials.

We invite you to read the full interview with Laura Volpi, a philosophical artist, immensely skilled and creative artisan (as Laura speaks about herself) and an amazingly interesting person.

The JI: Art as a phenomenon is going through lots of changes. For many people, it is becoming a business, a direction of investment. How do you see art right now?

Laura Volpi: I could not say that I have a precise idea of what art is nowadays. My idea of art is timeless. It is something absolute that does not change with time or fashion.

As I understand it, art is the way the soul expresses itself, and the art object is the 'concretisation' of a profound motion of the soul.

If art is understood in this sense, the art market is something that has nothing to do with it: the art object is for the investor simply another type of commodity in which he can invest. The optics of an investor are completely different from those of an artist: his aims are totally different.

My perspective is purely artistic, so my focus is mainly on the inner motions of my soul, not so much on what happens outside, in the market.

In fact, I can say that I do not follow market trends at all, as I am mainly focused on allowing my inner feeling to find concrete expression in the matter.

The JI: Tell us a little bit about your routine. What are the key points, actions, rituals that make you productive and creative?

Laura Volpi: I have no specific rituals to follow to 'activate' my creativity. I do, however, have a daily sequence of acts that disposes me to open up to the new day in a creative manner.

These are simple and rather common activities: a cup of hot coffee, perhaps accompanied by a nice fruit breakfast; a moment, of varying magnitude, dedicated to meditation in front of the Go-honzon; and a walk in the fields with my dog, whose name is 'Lillo'.

The JI: What art inspires you? The artists, or pieces, or directions in art that are your beacons and guiding stars; from the days of your first acquaintance with art – till today.

Laura Volpi: In my very early youth, the artists who had the greatest impact on me were undoubtedly the Expressionists and, in particular, the Italian Emilio Vedova.

Later, during a period spent in London, I was inspired by Henry Moore, and then, back in Italy, by Alberto Burri and so-called “arte povera”.

In recent years, I found inspiration in Ross Lovegrove's 'biological' conception of the work: starting from a perspective similar to his, I created a unique piece that I called 'La Bella e la Bestia' ('Beauty and the Beast').

Finally, the very last artistic falling-in-love is with Cy Twombly, whose seemingly chaotic creations arouse in me an unsuspected sense of harmony, as if I perceive in his creations the reassuring message that there is a profound order in what at first appears in the form of irremediable disorder.

The JI: In our time, many things can be done through technological tools (apps, AI, etc.). How do you see these tools existing in the same world as an artist, a true talent?

Laura Volpi: I may be outdated, but I consider myself an artisan even before being an artist.

The new technological tools have little to do with the manual knowledge to which I am devoted and which gives me so much joy.

They undoubtedly allow the creation of new works, perhaps even new forms, with innovative materials that cannot be processed manually, but all this is beyond me: I was born a sculptor, this is my imprinting, I dare say my nature; and I feel that I cannot be different from what I am. Art, in any case, remains the dimension of freedom, so I believe that everyone can create with the tools they want and that they feel are most appropriate for them.

Of course, being an 'old-fashioned' artist, it is difficult for me to think of 'artificial art', that is, art that is essentially an autonomous creation of an artificial intelligence. I remain of the opinion that art is an exclusively human prerogative, especially since I consider art to be the most authentic form of expression of the soul.

As far as scientists tell us, artificial intelligence does not yet have a soul – and perhaps never will.

The JI: What is the place where you like to create your art; where you get comfortable, inspired, eager to create?

Laura Volpi: The environment that I find most stimulating for my creativity is undoubtedly the living room of my house, large, bright, full of plants, with a light, almost rarefied atmosphere, with some preliminary sketches of my works on the walls. I also breathe in the air of the room, all the deep humanity of the relationships that have taken place in this environment, and this makes me feel in close relationship with the world, and thus gives me the stimuli to show my nature, feeling almost like a flower in the midst of a garden of other flowers.

This is where my artistic creations blossom.

The JI: In your town, where you live and where you create, what is your:

- favourite place, in general:

Laura Volpi: Above all, there are two parks, which I feel are 'mine' in the city where I live and was born, Milan: Parco Sempione, which when I was younger, for a reason I still don't understand, was a sort of magnet around which I gravitated; and Parco Forlanini, which in recent years has become a place of the heart for me, where I meet my 'soulmate'.

For the rest, I have the feeling of being in 'my place' every time I travel the streets of Milan on my scooter.

- favourite place to eat?

Laura Volpi: My favourite place to eat is a Japanese restaurant called 'Soy', where I usually go for lunch with my daughter. It is always a great happiness for both of us, and we have a great time together.

- favourite place to meet your friends?

Laura Volpi: I do not have a specific place I prefer to meet friends; in general, however, I like to meet them in nature or at home. I do not like meeting in public places, which are too noisy and dispersive for my taste: I prefer environments that favour an intimate and cosy relationship.

- favourite place to be on your own, for some precious me time?

Laura Volpi: The place where I feel concentrated and dedicated all to myself is in front of the Go-honzon, in the living-room of my flat. There, I have the feeling of being in the presence of my soul and conversing with it: there, I feel temporarily isolated from everything and perfectly whole; there, I am in a relationship only with myself.

- favourite bookshop, gallery?

Laura Volpi: My favourite bookshop is not in my city, but in a beautiful Tuscan town, Pietrasanta, in the province of Lucca. It is the bookshop 'Nina', whose owner presents the books on sale that he himself has read with his personal considerations written on cards that he places on the most prominent volume.

My favourite gallery, on the other hand, is in Milan, and it is the Hangar Bicocca, which presents a permanent exhibition by Anselm Kiefer – I Sette Palazzi Celesti 2004–2015 – and temporary exhibitions in which I always find my spirit of research and experimentation well-reflected in an atmosphere of space and freedom, to which a comforting sense of order and harmony is not extraneous.

The JI: What would you say is the quote, or the motto, of your life: the words that you keep repeating to yourself in stressful, challenging, or joyous, happy, times, or simply the words of wisdom that you love?

Laura Volpi: In the difficult moments of the day I tell myself, feeling great relief: 'Va tutto bene' ('Everything is fine'); 'E’ tutto perfetto così com’è' ('Everything is perfect just as it is').