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Ilaria Arpino
Ilaria Arpino
BIO
Ilaria Arpino is an Italian sculptor, painter and conceptual artist born and raised in the Italian Alps. In her mid 20s, Ilaria moved to Philadelphia, USA. Her artwork and poster design were selected to promote former First Lady Mrs. Barbara Bush's "Story Time" in collaboration with Time Warner Inc. Several of her paintings have been used in national advertising campaigns in Italy and the USA including her ink illustrations for the book "Standing in the shadow of Motown" depicting the life of legend James Jamerson. Ilaria's passion for art fueled her love to live and exhibit across the USA, Italy, France, Thailand, Macao and China where she collaborated with Chinese calligraphers. After living 11 years in Asia, Ilaria moved to Miami where she lives and works now.
STATEMENT
I am fascinated by the human body particularly by the way in which simple gestures and expressions can symbolize so much more than what they are. Through contemplation of the everyday life and perfectly ordinary objects and people, I create sculptures and paintings that convey human emotions that transcend the context of their story or settings. My art evokes a state of suffering, healing, struggling, and comfort through its body lightness and peculiar details. I turn my art into the voice of the women that I sculpt or paint, epitomizing their solitude, humiliation, anger, their perfect imperfections and enthusiasm in life. While my creative evolution is deeply personal and a true expression of my beliefs, there is very little structure to the process by which I turn clay, concrete, stones into a sculpture, I don't think about making art - rather, when I create art, I am the best and most free version of myself.
The Vocalist
"The Vocalist" belongs to a series of polished bronze sculptures entitled Body&Soul. It reflects the time spent in isolation during the year 2020. While confined from the outside world and spending a lot of time alone in my studio, I reached an inner and authentic sense of myself. By reducing the human body to its fundamental form, I created abstract and figurative female sculptures made of 2 separate parts that represent the body and the soul. The two elements interlock like a puzzle, to create a complete, harmonious unity. The body is the expression of the soul and the soul gives life to the body. Like in our life, both cannot survive without each other. The bronze sculptures are polished up to a beautiful full mirror and glossy finish, which shines right back at you.
The Four Seasons, Aestas, Khione, Persephone, Karpo
These four bronze sculptures belong to the series entitled "The Four Seasons". I sculpted the Four Seasons like Goddesses that symbolically have the force to change our mood, our environment, and are the evolution of our human consciousness. Each sculpture depicts the face of a woman with her eyes closed, her chin is longing in anticipation of an awakening. Symbolically these four bronze sculptures represent the miracle of transformation. In her endless wisdom, Nature shows us that all things change, and the Seasons are an example of this undeniable rule of life.
1 )Aestas is the goddess of Summer's bounty and represents her annual return to the earth. Like a wild bouquet, flowers bloom all over her head and neck symbolizing joy and the wonders of Summer.
2) Khione is the Greek goddess of ice and winter. Glittering crystals of melting ice flow down from her head to the bottom of her neck depicting an imaginary glacial upheaval. The frigid darkness of winter is fading away.
3) Persephone represents the Greek goddess of Spring. A swarm of butterfly lands fluttering on her face in anticipation of the Spring's awakening. The cold and dark days of winter are over.
4) Karpo is the Greek goddess of Autumn. Skinny branches caress the neck and face of the bronze sculpture precluding the melancholy of winter.
Ilaria Arpino
Italy
Moods
"MOODS" is a huge colorful canvas that celebrates the emotional complexity and intensity of being a woman, and her corresponding joie de vivre. Temporary states of mind like feeling romantic, gloomy, cheerful, receptive, whimsical, idyllic, humorous and reflective, are all depicted by layers of colors and patterns wrapped around the women that are freely dancing and flowing on the canvas.
Mother Rain
Living in Mainland China offered me an opportunity to learn about the Chinese culture. This sculpture is inspired by the ancient female spirit Ameonna (The Rain Woman) depicted as a woman standing in the rain and licking her hand. She is described as goddess from China's Mount Wushan, who is a cloud in the morning and rain in the evening. She may be considered a rain-bringer for crops. This large-scale (8’ tall) bronze sculpture represents a female figure holding and offering with both hands a giant glass raindrop. The raindrop signifies life, fertility and change, it is a gift and the gesture of giving shines a light on the gentle female nature of sharing.