by Michell Spoden
Today I am having Giorgio Gost, an Italian artists born in 1962, for a short conversation about his work. Hopefully, readers will enjoy the chat and share their thoughts via comments.
Michell: Giorgio, what sort of artist do you consider yourself to be?
Giorgio: I am a “conceptual contemporary” artist, in my works. I like to tell of the economy of these years in comparison with the years of the Old Economy times of a slow and maybe “more human” economy; and I like to draw attention to the incredible flux of information from the world, flux that our brain has not time to assimilate as new information arrives (Stop The Time!).
Michell: How long have you been in the art world?
Giorgio: Since 1994, but well-known from 2008 when the gallerist Maurizio started to show my works in Italian art fairs. I was very surprised; my works get close to the ones of Great Italian masters of last century like Reggiani, Dorazio, Turcato, Radice, and so on.
Michell: I noticed that your art is not just sold but auctioned. Please share with our viewers a bit about auctioning art. Do you think it is a better way to sell it?
Giorgio: In the year 2009 Mr. Pablo Carrara Ceo of Meeting Art started to sell my artworks in auctions. In auction, usually works of living artists are sold at a lower price in comparison to the prices of the gallery because sometime the buyers are gallerists that have to re-sell them, but auctions are magic for the diffusion of the name of the artist; catalogue on paper and catalogue online with possibility of making offers some weeks before the day of the auction, internet, art forums, television with different channels the day of the auction and people in the auction room; the results are published in a great quantity of specialized websites all around the world. If it was like in the Old Economy with people only in the room, it would have been a problem for a new artist like me. In this way, it is wonderful.
Michell: It is linked to any sort of charitable efforts?
Giorgio: Sometime there are specific auctions dedicated to charitable efforts to help medical institutes that study particular diseases, to help for natural disasters like earthquake, and so on. The last one I participated in was organized by the Italian art forum finanzaonline with the auction house Artesegno, and was for the earthquake in my land (Emilia).
Michell: What sort of things do you create as an artist?
Giorgio: As said before, I like to represent economy in my artworks – Old Economy using old original documents of transport of the years 1980/1983; HANDWRITTEN pieces of steel to Giuseppe Verdi and Teatro ala Scala of Milan on the back). With the earthquake of Japan in the year 2011, I started to make artworks with resin for protection of fresh food and drinks – like bottles of water, canned meat, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, chocolate, beer, wine, soft drinks, bread – saved for next millenniums.
Michell: What sorts of things inspire you as an artist?
Giorgio: I like very much colors and like all contemporary things around me things without apparent importance because of normal use but maybe very important in certain moments
Michell: What is the best way to describe you?
Giorgio: A little crazy because I like to do particular works; sometimes unique and not-remakable, as in the case of the handwritten documents, but very rational and precise too.
Michell: What are your greatest passions?
Giorgio: See and make art, footing that is a way to think about things too, dance and listening music.
Michell: Please share with our viewers a bit about your country and its culture.
Giorgio: Italy is a wonderful country, with a lot of famous cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan, Naples, and big and wonderful islands like Sicilia, Sardegna with millions of pieces of archeology, monuments, art, and natural places. As I said in the Art Economy Manifesto in the year 2011, I try to remember and not forget history and traditions – a lot of traditions and special things in my land Emilia and my city Parma, called Food Valley too.
Michell: Do you consider yourself to be a humanitarian? If so how?
Giorgio: Yes, a little. In case of natural disasters, I try to do something like making an offer trying to help.
Michell: Please share your future goals as an artist with our viewers.
Giorgio: I’d like to sell some works all over the world and leave a track of my ideas and of my contemporary things for the coming millennia!
Michell: Thank you so much for the interview.
Giorgio: Many thanks to you Michelle!
Readers can visit Giorgio Gost at http://www.giorgiogost.com/.
About the Interviewer
Michell Spoden is the author of Stricken Yet Crowned and is also pursuing a transitional housing project for woman with an agricultural aspect. She has a degree in Business Science Administration and is finishing her bachelor’s in Project Management.
