CH.89: If you were to categorize or describe the style of your artwork, what would it be and why?
AV: The best hope I have for my work is actually to escape categorization. That is one of the reason why I try to use different materials and media in my practice, as they always reveal new layers within the work. Even if I am aware, I do have a “style”, especially in the way I draw, I’d like to think it’s a personal one.
CH.89: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
AV: Life and books, I read.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about what your creative thought process is like when starting a new project/piece of artwork?
AV: When I work normally, I have something – like a feeling, a thought, a sensation – that has been there for a while and I truly want to visualize. Like a little obsessive thought. The challenge for me is to convey it in the most effective yet immediate way. Sometimes it ends up being a big layered canvas, sometimes an abstract drawing with only a few lines on it.
CH.89: Is there anything in particular that you would want people to take from your artwork?
AV: I want the work to resound with whomever might be looking at it. That is why I try to keep out any specific narrative, leave it as much as possible open to interpretation.
CH.89: Can you talk a little bit about your lifestyle as an artist and what that is like?
AV: I try to structure my days as much as possible, going to the studio 5/6 days a week. Emails or desk work in the morning, painting in the afternoon. But it’s not so easy, and often I just end up improvising the daily schedule. But it is important to be there, in the studio, even if the day ends up being not as productive as one might hope for.
CH.89: When starting out an artistic task, do you think it is better to have a particular direction/set plan guiding your way? Or, is it better to act on impulse and go from there?
AV: The best is to have a direction or plan that one is ready to compromise with, when following an intuition or a sudden impulse.
CH.89: What is one major lesson you have learned as an artist thus far?
AV: Patience and hard work are key.
CH.89: Do you regard personal style and taste to be of highest importance?
AV: Integrity is more important.
CH.89: What do you consider to be the hardest thing about being an artist?
AV: Probably the fact that in the end other people validate your work. An artist’s career is made of ups and downs, you need a lot of confidence to stay on path when the work does not get the attention you’d hope for.
CH.89: What is one thing you love about being an artist?
AV: Working with something that comes natural to me.
CH.89: Is there anyone in particular, any artist’s that inspire you in any way?
AV: Many artist inspire me. It’s so important to have references and professionals you look up to, both in the present and the past. Recently I have been digging for everything Lee Krasner has said and painted.
CH.89: What do you think of technology in terms of being a useful tool for artists today?
AV: In terms of technology, I mostly use Instagram. But in a strictly professional way. I think social media is tricky, but it is also an important tool to make the work circulate, and to connect with other artists and professionals when living in different places in the world.
CH.89: Do you think being an artist allows you to view the world differently from those who don’t follow creative paths?
AV: The opposite truly, I need to do what I do because of the way I see and perceive the world around me. But probably it’s not about what I see, and more about how it affects me.
CH.89: Do you enjoy traveling? If so, do you have a favorite city?
AV: In the past few years I mostly travelled for work, and I like to travel that way, when you don’t really choose the destination. That is exciting. The main problem in answering the question is that I have never been to New York, but I think that would be my favorite city, once I manage to see it.
CH.89: Do you have a favorite author or book?
AV: Recently I fell in love with Lydia Davis. But I have many.
CH.89: Any future goals or plans for your artwork?
AV: Show in a museum. That is a good goal.
CH.89: What does being an artist mean to you?
AV: To be able to speak a language that does not use words.
CH.89: What is the last song you listened to?
AV: Last album by Okay Kaya.
CH.89: Any last words on the aesthetic of your artwork?
AV: It’s never only about aesthetic.
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