Islands, 2021, stones, plastic bands, stainless steel, concrete, 90 x 24,5 x 24,5 cm

We met Francesco in his studio in Milan, where he told us about his latest creations and took us into his artistic world made of passion, act of faiths and poetic images. Francesco gives new symbolic meanings to everyday objects and creates vivid images in the eyes of the viewer. You won’t be looking at a column or at an hourglass the same way ever again. Let’s discover more about his artwork!

Some of your latest pieces of art explore the relationship between man and nature. How do your Sicilian origins and your current life in Milan influence you?

Having lived most of my life in Sicily, the natural environment and the Mediterranean landscape have always been part of my DNA. From the rugged hills of the hinterland to the North-Eastern coasts, the strong connection between nature and the many cultural and historical influences linked to the area have significantly helped me, being an inspiration for various aspects of my artistic research. Also, coming from a small Sicilian town with just over 60,000 inhabitants, and currently living in an international city like Milan, often leads me to reflect on the deep differences between these two dimensions. The island represents the get back to the origins, to nature, a moment of reflection and harmony with ourselves. While metropolitan life, on the other hand, is a fast, frenetic life, full of pressures but at the same time it is stimulating and filled with opportunities. For me, these are two different but complementary and equally important realities.

Atto di fede (Tensione), 2021, Duct tape, steel wire, lava stone, 96 x 30 x 28 cm

The artist brings in the world something that didn’t exist before when he gives life to a piece of art. Do you get inspired by the vision of an object or do you seek the object to shape your idea?

Both cases can occur. Sometimes, coming across an object that has a history or a symbolism can become, for example, the starting point for a new artwork. The aesthetic characteristics along with the emotional component are what mostly spark my interest in something. The common objects that we often use in our everyday life can lead us to new and unpredictable scenarios, if altered or decontextualized from their world of reference. Sometimes, however, it is the idea itself that guides me and pushes me to look for the elements that can best represent it.

You tell us the artist carries out an act of faith by making a work of art. Your “Act of Faith” is made with a duct tape to sustain a lava stone. What does keep your faith alive?

The act of faith is what pushes us to take a new direction without knowing exactly where this can lead us. In the series “Leap of Faith”, common objects such as rolls of tape or clamps, interact with slabs of lava stone or marble, in a relationship of continuous tension between instability and balance. A metaphor that refers to the uncertainties that characterize the artist’s journey, in a context where there are no real universal rules and it is almost impossible to make predictions. The artist is driven by the need to express himself and it is this need that leads him to pursue his direction despite the obstacles.

People pursue their balance between strength and vulnerability. How do you shape this human condition?

Strength and vulnerability are two opposite but essential aspects of the human condition. Just like two sides of the same coin, one could not exist without the other. To tell this aspect, I analyzed the architectural element of the column on a symbolic level: representing strength, balance and spiritual elevation, the column can be metaphorically considered the axis of the world, as well as a monumental version of the human posture. 7In the work “Ourself”, three Travertine marble columns are sectioned, and parts of the shaft are replaced with rolls of tape “Fragile”. This intervention that modifies their original configuration, destabilizes the initial equilibrium and then imposes a new one, based on the presence of the rolls. The reels of roll tape, commonly used to underline particularly delicate objects, become essential elements to balance the structure and support the weight of the material. The coexistence of these two elements of different origin and use becomes a metaphor for human existence that oscillates between strength and fragility.

Ourself, 2021, Fragile packaging adhesive tape rolls, Travertino Marble, Dimensions variable

“Bitter, Sweet, Heavy Time” is your hourglass to express the value of time in man’s life. What’s the worth of the past to look at the future?

"Bitter, Sweet, Heavy Time" is a work that tells man’s helplessness in relation with the passage of time. A heavy block of concrete incorporates the lower bell of the hourglass, preventing it from overturning to begin a new time cycle. The sand flows in one direction and can’t be taken back. The value of the past is determined by the heritage of acquired experiences, which remain immutable, as opposed to the uncertain and elusive future. Looking back prepares us to face what is yet to happen.

Bitter, Sweet, Heavy Time, 2021, Wood, Murano glass, quartz sand, concrete, 71 x 39 x 39 cm

What are your future projects?

I am currently working on the "Environmental Alternations" series which features stones found on the Sicilian coasts, compressed by plastic bands and metal structures that alter their shapes, emphasizing the impact of the artificial element on the natural one. I would like to do an exhibition dedicated to this project.

““The artist is driven by the need to express himself and this same need leads him to pursue his direction despite the obstacles.””

Between strength and fragility, nature and artificial elements, Francesco Ideale Vullo gives new contexts to everyday life objects by bringing the viewer into his inner artistic world to reflect on the human condition through his original pieces of art. We can’t wait to see what creation will come next!

FRANCESCO VULLO

@fra_vullo

intervew ANNA FEDERICO

@anna_federico

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