Francesca Calzà
Discover the talents of T.O.E. Art Market through a series of exclusive interviews with the artists featured on our platform. Together, we explore the artistic practices and research pursued by the artists who enrich our community with their unique artworks. Each week, we invite you to get to know better the challenges, languages, themes, and stories behind the works available, allowing you to connect with the creative minds that make T.O.E. Art Market a vibrant and dynamic showcase.
We are here in the company of Daniele Zoico. Let's start with a few questions to get to know him better!
Francesca Calzà - Would you like to tell us a bit about your artistic journey? How did you come to art?
Daniele Zoico - I studied at IUAV in Venice, where I earned a Master's degree in Visual Arts Design and Production. However, I was always exposed to references related to photography and cinematography at home, thanks to my father's work. Everything happened naturally for me; today, my work revolves mainly around analog photography and videography.
Francesca Calzà - What were the encounters, cultural references, or moments that had a strong impact on the development of your research?
Daniele Zoico - During my university years, I was very fortunate to meet those who became my reference points, particularly Alberto Garutti, Lawrence Carroll, and Maja Bajevic: three immense artists who also proved to be great teachers. As a student, I had the opportunity to meet someone who would become my mentor in all aspects of photography: Luca Vascon. Among my classmates, I cannot fail to mention Riccardo Giacconi, Mario Ciaramitaro, and Giulia Marzin; together, we founded the Blauer Hase collective and collaborated for many years, both within the collective and individually. Additionally, for several years, I worked alongside Diego Tonus in a teaching-related journey, which was extremely important, thanks to his practice and the constant exchange of ideas.
Francesca Calzà - Are there any constants in your work? What drives you to explore these themes?
Daniele Zoico - I am obsessed with the passage of time, memory, and how we process memories and our experiences. In my works, concepts like original and copy, digital and analog, are often questioned. I believe that making art is a matter of redemption and atonement.
Francesca Calzà - How do your cultural roots and personal experiences influence your artistic practice? Could you provide us with an example?
Daniele Zoico - "Embracing the void", as Rachel Whiteread suggested, is a powerful thought. The idea of emptiness is a concept that runs through many cultures, but giving form to that void, through a practice or a work of art, is a thought I have nurtured for many years.
Francesca Calzà - Could you share some details about your creative process?
Daniele Zoico - Everything begins with a fascination that becomes obsessive and leads to research on multiple fronts: technique, materials, history, and iconography. This phase can last several months or years, reach a point with the production of a work, and then continue. I believe it's not always necessary to arrive at a work because the research continues and transforms.
Francesca Calzà - How does a work come to life? Do you always start with a predefined idea?
Daniele Zoico - Each artworks is born from a thought followed by an action. Often the action engages in dialogue with the thought while keeping the two phases separate, and there lies the space for the experience that might "serendipitously" lead to a new action or new ideas. I find interesting to push a technique to its limits, approaching an apparent exhaustion of it, only to further develop and generate new meaning, especially with the mediums I work with most: photography, video, and sculpture.
Comments