We recently connected with Claudio Marcotulli and have shared our conversation below.

Claudio, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

After several years working diligently as an experimental filmmaker and video artist, I began feeling the need to paint. This was right before the onset of the pandemic. I was in my mid forties and I had not pained in over twenty years. Back in my late teens, painting was my thing but I left to the side when I went to film school so the sudden urge was not entirely foreign but certainly a bit surprising. Even though people knew me as a filmmaker and I was insecure about my painting skills, I decided to give go for it.

I happened to have an artist friend, Laurencia Strauss who was looking to share her studio space at Mana Contemporary, a shopping mall that rented studio spaces for artists up until 2021. I began painting a few things but one day, I decided to assemble a structure with metal and wood and before I knew it, I was producing large luminic sculptures. The first sculpture I made, Spectrum Collider, was exhibited at the Moore Building and not only it was received greatly but it helped me to gain interest in the artistic scene amongst gallerists. Flight of Colors, the piece that followed Spectrum Collider, was part of a group exhibit at Coral Springs Museu. I am now working towards my second solo show in January 2023 at Laundromat Art Space, where I have had my studio space since 2021.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an artist who works across sculpture, film and installation. My work often gravitates towards raising questions about the cosmos, the relationship between nature and technology and flight, which is another driving force in my work. Memory is another subject that fascinates me, along with the mystery behind dreams and our subconscious.

To help sustain my work as an artist, I teach film and do video production mostly to promote performing arts shows in Miami.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I have lived long enough in South Florida to appreciate the many opportunities we have to see good art. Be it the hard working independent cinemas, art galleries, theater, museums and presenters who bring artists and culture from everywhere in the world, we have such a resilient artistic community. It pains me, for example, when I see an excellent play with remarkable artists and there are empty seats or when there is a gallery opening and only a few people show up. I am not talking about the numbers that dropped during the pandemic but in general. I encourage families to bring their kids to the museums or to shows and to talk about what they see, it’s not only fun but I believe it bonds people and expands minds and hearts.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Before going to film school, I studied a year and half Aerospace Engineering. I have always been fascinated with space and flight and I thought these two together were my calling. However, courses kept on getting tougher and I struggled significantly with all the math and science courses. It’s interesting to me that I am now making aerodynamical structures but this time I am making art with them.

Contact Info:

• Website: claudiomarcotulli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcotulli/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claudio.marcotulli

Image Credits
Photo by Ronald Sanchez