Marco Ceroni
Artwork’s Title: SLAG
Materials Used: Ceramic
Studio Based: Faenza, Italy
Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
My reality collides with my mental and visual universe, thus triggering a hyperbolic movement which is finally seized in my works. Physical and emotional contact with real experiences and objects trigger my research.
Even today I draw inspiration for my works mainly by my personal life, rather than being influenced by an artistic background in particular. It’s the different experiences I have had, many different places and environments, my friends and travel companions that make my work move.
How would you define your work in a few words (ideally in 3 words)?
Thug, Sexy, Monstrous.
How did you come up with the ‘Slag’ sculpture series idea? Is there any story behind these artworks?
SLAG is waste material, it is a residue that is given new shape and, in its turn, opens up a new world inside itself. The parts of disassembled scooters filling the courtyards of our houses become fetishes of a new kind of urban interaction. The shape of a Booster bodywork is made in ceramics then modified by means of clutches recalling the organic world, thus creating a collection of sculptures poised between slag and animal remains. SLAG is an attack to reality where panic tries to climb up on the surface of things.
In small towns, especially in those in Emilia-Romagna, motorbikes have always played a central role. Even the ravers scene has always been populated by a large variety of crazy vehicles, such as Mutoid Waste Company, based in Santarcangelo di Romagna: their sculptures and constructions are tattooed in my pupils. The courtyards of Milan’s council estate area are deeply characterized by scooters, that have a strong physical presence. Besides, their shape changes continuously and this makes them look alive. In those specific contexts scooter parts lost their original meaning and took on new ones; now I am trying to give shape to the vibrations that I received from those objects and situations. SLAG (2020), my latest series of sculptures, is a visual summary of what I have tried to explain so far.
Do specific artworks have been created by random experiments in your studio or do you always come up with a particular concept or narrative in the very beginning?
My works always originate outside my studio. Real life makes every work live.
Is there any particular theme that utterly triggers you to engage your art with?
My personal experience blends with rap music, cult movies and books that have influenced my visual world. My life in the small town of Faenza, the rave parties, my life in Milan between squats and suburban buildings are the basics of my work.
What about the place where you work? What’s your studio space look like?
I’ve just change my studio because I moved from Milan to Faenza.
Now I have a huge studio in the industrial area of Faenza.
In the end, my studio looks like an hellish body shop.
What does your mum think about your art?
My mom is my first and most loyal fan.
Which exhibition did you visit last?
“Everybody is you”: a Giorgio Bartocci’s solo show at Aria Art Gallery (Florence).
Which are your plans for the near future?
In April, I will be in residence at the Battaglia Artistic Foundry in Milan, where I will produce a new series of bronze sculptures. In February I plan a group exhibition at SpazioGamma curated by Irene Biolchini.
Not only exhibitions, but also many collaborations that stimulate me and give me new energy: I will collaborate with an electronic musician, working on the video clip and the aesthetics of the project. New collaborations are also being triggered in the fashion field.
I’m ready for 2021 experience!
Additional Images
All images are courtesy of the artist