Artists in Motion: Angela Corti “You got yourself 'inside' that artwork and all of the sudden...

June 04, 2016

...you are walking amongst the green and blue…”

Artists in Motion aims to introduce you to our artists and their worlds; to allow you a glimpse of their sensibilities and unique perspectives, and the ideas, experiences, people, and places that help inspire their work. Through this series, we hope to give you an idea of how our artists create meaning through the unique works of art that you will take home.

How does your training as a graphic designer influence your artistic work?

First of all, I’m trained as a graphic designer. I’ve been working in this profession for years and my way of thinking about any project is influenced by this. Regardless the dimensions of the project, if it’s one piece or a group of objects, I always start doing some research on the subject I would like to –or I have to- communicate; after that I think of both, a general and a particular concept for each piece, and then I define colors and textures. The language I will use depends not only on what I want to communicate, but also on the specific media this language is going to be applied. On other hand, I am very detail obsessed, and I want the whole project to follow the same criteria, those are characteristics I bring from my years of working as a graphic designer, although my obsession with details comes also from my personality…

What inspires you?

Everything that moves me inspires me. My childhood memories, El Río de la Plata, the diverse geography of my country, birds, plants. Architecture and industrial design inspire me. I feel strongly drawn to world’s culture and folklore. A Thai Cooking book that someone gave me for my birthday also inspires me.

Your work is strongly shaped by folk legends of Argentina, why?

I grew up among guitars and folkloric songs that my parents used to sing. They taught me to respect and value our country’s culture, not only by music but also with our trips across Argentina. All these generated in me a fascination for oral stories and legends told in different regions. Latin American folklore is greatly interesting and inspiring.

http://www.toiartgallery.com/collections/angela-corti/products/el-vivero-de-giuseppe

How does your travel inspire your art?

I suppose my fascination with Argentinian folklore drives me to learn about every region’s culture and folklore I visit. When traveling I try to relate with people living in that particular place and to learn their customs. Something I really enjoy about traveling is food, I believe one can learn a lot about a culture through its food, the way they cook and the ingredients they use. Architecture, flora and fauna also interest me and I take home with me whenever I can in my travel notebook.

http://www.toiartgallery.com/collections/angela-corti/products/contexts-1

Where do you work and how is your work routine?

I live in the city, but I work in the suburbs. I commute against the traffic, to an area close to the river. There is quiet and it’s surrounded by green. My studio is located in my old childhood house, transformed now in an industrial design studio, office and my own workshop. I tried to have a routine and work a fixed schedule, but my way of working does not follow a routine, it changes according to the kind of work I’m doing and my own mood. The only fixed everyday routine is my morning “mate”.

Why do you think is important to have art at home?

Because being surrounded by beautiful things makes one’s life happier. And if you have a window where you can see how the sun illuminates your artwork in the morning, you sure will start the day in a great mood.

You work with a variety of techniques, is there on in particular you prefer Why?

My techniques change according to my work’s necessities. I love working with paper, because it gives me a freedom I can’t find in other techniques. I love using all kinds of papers, recycled paper, textured, old… each of them has a special feeling to me. One of the things I enjoy the most is to produce my own, to screen-print them, or to use other techniques. I specially enjoy “drawing” with scissors, freely, without previous sketching. But I also like to use different techniques, I couldn’t work with only one, it would be boring. For surface design to be applied on textiles, or for magazine illustrations I draw by hand and color using the computer.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on a children’s book using collage and developing a new textile design for a brand of shoes and bags. I’m also working on an exhibition starting in July with the artist Daniel Roldán, for a Gallery in Buenos Aires.

What would you say to an artist in the beginning of their career?

I would tell them to be true to their passions and emotions, because this is what inspires creativity. And no to be afraid, to work, because it is from working that wonderful things emerge.

What artists inspire you?

It changes all the time, sometimes they got buried under a pile of books and then reappear. I used to look at Schiele, Klimt, Klee, Hundertwasser, Matisse, Picasso. There was a time I was obsessed by Miguel Angel’s sculptures, another time I was interested in pre-Columbian pottery. Designers like Paul Rand, Saul Bass and Argentinean artists like Xul Solar and Nigro are always going to be in my library.

Did you like to draw when you were a child?

Yes, of course, my mother is an architect, she used to sketch on her desk, while I used to sit by an orange kids table by her side and spent hours drawing in silence.

http://www.toiartgallery.com/collections/angela-corti/products/hello-baby

What can you express with color and form that cannot be expressed with words?

Visual expression is instantaneous. It is just there: it could draw your attention or not; you identified with it, it moved you, it reminded you of something, it made you smile, you felt like touching it, you got yourself “inside” that artwork and all of the sudden you are walking amongst the green and blue…