Interview
Barbara D’Angelo Månsson
Barbara Månsson is a self taught Italian/Swedish contemporary artist. Her paintings are an abstraction of her everyday life in Sweden , strongly influenced by both her childhood in Italy and her temporary living experience in USA. Her artworks can be described as an exploratory journey in search of unconventional combinations between shapes, textures and subjects. She works predominantly in acrylic, but combines a number of techniques, like impasto, and natural materials, such as sand, to build textures and layers. At the end of the painting process, she applies a variety of media , including chalk and/or oil pastels to shed light into peculiar shapes, producing a final piece which is layered and vibrant. Barbara participated in several group exhibitions and Art fairs in both Europe and USA, including A WINDOW ON INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ART 2023 by The Mega Art Gallery at Spazio Tolomeo in Milan, Italy; INTERACTION and MONORAMA exhibitions 2023 by The Holy Art Gallery in London UK; INTERNATIONAL PRIZE OF CONTEMPORARY ART 2023 by Captaloona Art Gallery in Madrid, Spain.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a self taught artist. I have started my journey in the art world since my teenage years, dedicating mainly to drawing, with charcoal, ink and chalk, but also to photography using both an old Polaroid and a LoMo camera. I was born and raised in Italy, but later I relocated to Sweden for work. Living in Scandinavia, l became fascinated by the Nordic art scene and began to paint, mainly abstract subjects. Later on, I lived in the United States for few years, discovering the intriguing American art scene of modern times, where I took strong inspiration. While in US, I continued my artistic journey through painting with the intention of capturing on canvas the perception of my life abroad. After returning to Sweden, where I currently lives, continued to paint, experimenting with new techniques and materials.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“My work is mostly related to perception of everyday day life and deep connection with my surroundings which, of course includes the current social and political scene. In some of the artworks such connections are more evident than in others. In general, my art attempts to connect the human intimate emotions with the outside world, with the intent to push a reflection on our actions toward our environment and our community”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“I usually start with having a somewhat idea of the subject, but in general, after the first brush strokes, I let the canvas talk. I think to the subject before I start, but while I am painting I do not follow any rules and mostly importantly I accept mistakes. Mistakes usually lead to a new perspective and sometimes can bring the painting to a new direction with a completely different result.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“We live in a time where many media and tools are available to us artists. I try avoiding particular trends. I rather take advantage from the variety of techniques, colors and media available and combine them experimentally in different ways to find my style.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I use different materials. I prefer acrylic paint not only for the vibrant colour but also and mainly for their short drying time. I paint in different layers and acrylics give this flexibility. Another characteristic of my painting is a Texture component, which I achieve by using the Impasto technique. I realise the impasto with acrylic and modelling media, which can be different depending if I aim for a more glossy or matt finish. In some cases, I add natural materials, such as sand, to the initial impasto if I am looking after a peculiar “sandy” texture as final result. It is extremely fun to experiment different combo!”
“My work is mostly related to perception of everyday day life and deep connection with my surroundings which, of course includes the current social and political scene.”
What does your art mean to you?
“It is a way to explore and know myself to understand how I can relate to others. Art gives me the freedom to express my self beyond the commune language.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My preferred artwork will be always the one I am about to paint. Each painting is an evolution of my experimental process and myself so the next artwork will be the one where the past mistakes cannot be repeated and will be the one where I can apply my new knowledge and my new self.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I do not have any exhibition in particular which holds a specific meaning to me if I compare it to others. Each exhibition is meaningful in its own way. Exhibitions are exiting and scary at the same time. In each exhibition you expose a piece of your self. This can be frightening as you do not know how this is, or how you are, perceived, to start with. It is very grateful to learn how many can relate and so nicely to your work and appreciate it.”
Website: www.bdm-art.com
Instagram: @bdanm_art
