Interview
Fulvio Morella
Fulvio Morella, born in Valtellina in 1971, is the artist who made wood turning into contemporary art. It can be said that he grew up with wood: from childhood, he learned to love this noble material which was in plenty in his father’s carpentry workshop.
In the late ’90s, Morella moved away from the woodworking techniques learned in the family. He started the wood turning approach, which became the basis of all his works. His goal is not only to unhinge the idea of turning as a technique for the creation of ‘rustic’ design objects, but to overcome the boundary between art and design. Creativity has no predetermined forms or boundaries.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I view wood as more than just functional. I view it as a matter of aesthetic research, even though I love the ambiguity between art and design. At first sight, my works often bring to mind design objects with a clear functionality, especially vases and plates, which is denied through my workmanship.
My artistic approach is the consequence of continuous research—artistic and technical—on wood as a material, and the interaction between wood and other materials. Geometrical shapes, curves without material, the history of wood excesses and frills, are the hallmarks of my visual research. Nothing is an accident, and the tension towards perfection and cleanliness of forms is a constant in my works.
My visual research has been the last link in a long process of experimentation and design that is not only material but also instrumental. Fundamental for me, is first and foremost the study and creation of working tools, overcoming the limits of the material and the history of the wood. Hence the need to conceive, design, and often manufacture most of the equipment I use myself. An old slab lathe has thus been mechanically adapted to woodworking, and I have designed and made numerous new accessories.
Many months of research on instrumentation and entirely manual work have resulted in cycles of works that are always very limited since I don’t believe in the sacredness of the work of art. Once I have crossed the limit and completed my research on an expressive level, I proceed with new research and new limits to overcome.”
What inspires you most?
“I combine a strong interest in tactile experience with a reflection about how people see and perceive reality. Are we able to see the world just because of our eyes? I use the Braille system in my latest works. The result is original series of works named after Blind Wood, selected by Cramum as the ‘Special Project’ for new triennium 2021-2023.
Everything started during the lockdown, while reflecting on the meaning of freedom. Without the possibility to communicate, humans cannot be free. In a world devoid of light and full of individualism, being able to communicate is a major challenge. We need to find a new universal language that allows everyone to communicate and understand one another. I identify an important precedent in the Braille system which has allowed visually impaired people—previously marginalized—to be free and be an active part of society for two centuries. So I had the intuition through Blind Wood, not only to transform Braille into a work of art, but also to update its meaning and social intent. These works encourage each of us to rethink our communication system, understanding the limits that can be overcome only through empathy and collaboration with others. Blind Wood sets itself the goal of inviting each of us to search for a new universal language in art—a sort of multi-sensory Esperanto.
No one will be able to have complete use of these sculptures on their own, for it is only through sharing languages and helping each other that we can understand and improve the world we live in. Blind Wood proves it.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“We all have a peculiar and limited vision of reality. Art can be the key to going beyond and gaining deeper knowledge of the reality.”
How would you describe your work?
“My works are sculptures or sculpture paintings that must be ‘seen’ with hands and eyes, and that investigate the meaning of being free beyond the limits. All my recent works must be touched to be understood. At first glance, these works may seem abstract, but in reality they are not. They geometrically interpret shapes drawn from everyday life, or buildings that testify to the historical stratification over time. The sense of such images is revealed through braille writings that decorate all the works. Braille for me is therefore like letters in Dadaism and Futurism; it is a bearers of meaning and at the same time, a form of beauty.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Brancusi, of course, but also Vasarely. Fontana inspired me because of the theoretical reflection of going beyond. And because of its tridimensionality.
My work has also been greatly influenced by Sabino Maria Frassà, one of the most famous Italian art curators, Laura de Santillana, a glass teacher who died prematurely, and Franco Mazzucchelli, internationally known for his inflatable PVC artworks, now part of the Pompidou Collection.
The collaboration with Franco Mazzucchelli has resulted in a successful series of works - Bifacciali - exhibited in Milan and Venice at the 2019 Art Biennale. Like the art masters mentioned above, I wish to cross the border between art and design.”
What is your creative process like?
"It starts with a strong initial intuition or inspiration, which is hard to describe. Then it’s followed by intense research of design and preliminary material. The realization of the work takes place after a long time. The beauty of wood, however, is the unexpected fact of the challenge to the ‘living’ material that must always be respected. My work is therefore a technique for knowing how to deal with the unexpected, so as to arrive at the abstract geometric harmony of content that I always look for in my works. A work towards perfection is difficult, but I cannot do without it.”
“Although my works are abstract at first sight, they take up symbols of brotherhood and freedom like a flock of birds, a drop of water or one's own reflection. All spectators will have tactile perceptions as these works are multi-sensory and can also be touched. Normal sighted people will grasp the coloristic and aesthetic aspect, while visually impaired people will better understand the meaning of the work through the reading of the artist's thought reported on it.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The artist is someone who, without being patronizing, makes you think. The artist is a normal person who is committed to thinking and doing, detaching themselves from the frenzy of the world, and obliging you to do the same. An artist is someone who knows how to look around at the present and the past, treating it with humility and respect, without crushing it.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“My works are in prestigious private and public collections such as Braille Museum in Milan. I have been published and reviewed in numerous art and design magazines in Italy and abroad, including Corriere della Sera, Repubblica, Interni, Dezeen, The Good Life, Juliet Art Magazine, Art wave, Rivista Segno, SmallZine, and Celebre Magazine.
Finally, one of my works inspired the well-known designer Giuseppe Vigano for the creation of the new furniture line of Turri Srl (luxury design company) launched globally in May.
Other solo and group exhibitions have been as follows:
2022:
- My works were selected by the Blind Institution in Milan to celebrate the National Braille Day, and so I held my exhibition ‘Fiat Lux’ in their magnificent historical building Palazzo Barozzi.2021:
- The Gaggenau DesignElementi in Milan held my solo art show Pars Construens, curated by Sabino Maria Frassà.
- My works were exhibited alongside great masters of art such as David LaChapelle, Michele De Lucchi and Ingar Krauss in the international exhibition ‘La Natura è morta?’ in Milan.2020:
- Ventura Project finally selected me for the 1st Dezeen Virtual Festival with the project ‘Square the Circle’. Sotheby’s has also selected one of my works, together with those of masters of the calibre of Cattelan, Di Fabio, and Isgro for the tenth edition of the charity auction ‘Scusate il disturbo’ to be held on December 5th in Milan.2019:
- Cramum, a non-profit organization for contemporary art in Italy, selected me with the project ‘Deep Oval’ as an artist of the year to be presented at Fuorisalone 2020.”
Website: www.tornitura.morella.it
Instagram: @tornituramorella
