We were lucky to catch up with Currado Malaspina recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Currado, thanks for joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
If it’s happiness you’re after, it’s best to pursue something else. Being an artist is like looking for your most exposed vulnerability and exposing it some more. You’re never happy, nor are you ever satisfied. That’s the great thing about it. It reflects the human condition of uncertainty and inevitable decrepitude. Could I imagine pursuing a “regular” job?” I couldn’t even imagine imagining a more respectable profession.
Currado, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
When I decided to split my time between Paris and Los Angeles my European friends and colleagues thought I had lost my perruque. You see, over there in the ‘old world’ they still see the United States as a cultural adolescent. Nobody in my circle over there has ever used sun screen, or eaten an impossible burger, or posted on Instagram, or vaped, much less. smoked reefer publicly on a city street. They just don’t understand California.
I first moved to Venice but the ‘bobo’ vibe there is simply hideous. Now I work out of a 60 square meter studio in Culver City where it’s still possible to buy a cup of coffee served in a ceramic cup.
I primarily create handmade artist’s books and illuminate them with text and imagery. I’ve illuminated the complete Divine Comedy a well as Paradise Lost. I find L.A. very open to my work. You see, in France, something old is not a novelty, but here in California 1950 is considered ancient. To the average Angeleno, Dante and Milton sounds like the name of a raw bar or a Netflix series about the unlikely kinship of a Golden Retriever and an Abyssinian kitten.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
My favorite, most inspiring videos for me are the ones made by the Los Angeles artist David Schoffman. He’s sort of an acquired taste. He’s certainly not for everyone. But if you’re willing to take an artistic risk, I strongly recommend his YouTube channel. He’s very smart and very considerate, making sure that no video exceeds two-and-a-half minutes in length. Another treasure is the podcast Timmy Black Presents: The Lives of Contemporary Artists. Mr. Black is a terrific wordsmith and his broadcasts have help me work on my English.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Unlike most ‘influencers’ I actually discourage followers. I’d rather have people genuinely interested in what I do than to engage with a bunch of striving mediocrities whose only motive is to broaden their “network.”
Contact Info:
- Website: curradomalaspina.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malaspina_currado/ https://www.instagram.com/curradomalaspina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/currado.malaspina.1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/currado-malaspina-b04a77109/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@curradomalaspina218
- Other: Blog: https://wretchedandsublime.blogspot.com