After three years, Powell River artist Giovanni Spezzacatena presents his third solo show in Powell River, which opens May 4 and runs through May 30 at Vancouver Island University’s Powell River campus. Spezzacatena has worked extensively in experimental film animation and graphic design, which influences his highly abstract works.
Where did you find the title for your show, People Talking Indistinctly?
The title came from a foreign film that I was watching; I think it was Korean. They often use gibberish, where people are just basically babbling in the background, and it was represented by the subtitle “people talking indistinctly.” It came to me that it was a good title for the show because it is abstract and each piece is dramatically different. It’s almost like a room full of people speaking at the same time.
Is People Talking Indistinctly a comment on today?
Right. People not understanding each other.
How do you work?
I work in different media. I work with inks and paints. Right now, I’m working on wood, so I’m actually gouging into wood, and I use music as a way to get me out of myself. It’s very physical. I’m using chisels and razor blades. I use a lot of razor blades in my work, scratching away at layers.
What is your background?
Film and motion is always part of my work. I was teaching experimental animation in Montreal and motion graphics in Seattle, so I have a foot in very unusual types of animation. I was teaching in Montreal in the late ’90s when computers were just starting to be used at Concordia University. Then I went straight into computers in Seattle when I was teaching there, as well motion graphics and interactive animation.
Do you miss teaching?
I used to. I was actually a bit tired of it. I wanted to do my work and I was just so exhausted at the end of the day working full time, so I had very little time to pay attention to my own work.
What is art?
Anything that expresses your humanity.
For more information, go to rabideye.com.
