Interview
Greg Salvatori
Greg Salvatori is a self-taught painter and photographer, published in over 30 countries.
His visionary art is playful yet sophisticated, blending contemporary techniques and aesthetics with classical evocations. His photographs are filled with surreal fantasies and composed with the most precise eye. His paintings are joyful and deliberate, making full use of the vibrance of color, and innovative media and tools like metallic paints and Augmented Reality.
Drama, technique, color, subject, and light come together to create arresting, almost meditative images with nuanced meanings and questions that hide behind the attractive surface.
Beauty and joy are the reason d’être for his work, revealing the excitement and the innate thankfulness so typical of those who’ve seen darkness and survived it.
He opened his studio in London in 2009, New York in 2014, and his gallery in Provincetown in 2019.
He lives in New York with his husband, Edgar Award nominee writer James Polchin, and Albert, the yellow lab who loves tiaras.
What is your background and how did you start your journey?
“Born on the French-Italian border, my childhood became unbearable when my mother joined a cult. Bullied at school, abused at home, and living in extreme poverty, I started working at a very early age to escape. I ran away from an abusive childhood and first thought of myself as English when I moved to London. Through modeling and bar tending, I was able to put myself through university, where I studied languages and communication. After university, I started working at Ferragamo’s headquarters and learned directly from top creatives, talented artists, world famous designers, and brilliant business leaders.
I was lucky to quickly find my path in High Fashion and learn from some of the best and most creative players directly. I’m one of those people that learns a lot just looking at how people do something—monkey see monkey do. I always look for people who are smarter and wiser then me, so that I’m the least bright bulb in the room. That’s how you can learn a lot from people with more advanced skills than yours in any field.”
What inspires you most?
“I’m inspired by beauty. Beauty is everything. It’s rare, real, and a bit ideal. Beauty is not threatening, it’s inspiring. Beauty is found everywhere in the human experience: from a stunning piece of art, to a deliberate way to live. Beauty is in the way we dress and in how we arrange the food on your plate.
Beauty is both observation and craft. The more you’re mindful about what you’re doing or the way you’re living, the more beauty you find in it.”
“While the subject is often playful, the process is careful and meticulous, creating deliberate and impeccable artwork.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I often use the human body and the male form as a celebration of our experience. I like to create fantasies, both with my photography and my paintings.
I love to create a sense of celebration of the moment; a deep thankfulness for what we have, not longing for what we don’t. Being alive is the ultimate and most underrated privilege. The rest is just noise, envy, and fear. I celebrate the now—the only real time I care for.”
How would you describe your work?
“My work is playful, joyful, sexy, and often ironic. I love the power of bright colors. I get lost in my night blues, and get excited by my signature hot pink hues. I like my work to be arresting, provocative, and unafraid.”
Which artists influence you most?
“My art sense takes in more than just contemporary geniuses and modern art giants. Further than pop art and Impressionists, I really dive into the renaissance, the Romans, the Greeks; the art of the ancient world.
I love the idea that ancient art has no signature and celebrity culture connected to it. It’s just undeniable greatness and beauty. I find it humbling and futuristic in a way. The artist as a star is a modern product, but it’s not necessarily the future of the arts. Let’s talk about it again 200 years from now.”
What is your creative process like?
“First, I see the idea and the image in my head. There, in the dark of my imagination, the message takes form. I sketch it and then go to the canvas or photo studio. Painting and photography are two different tools, and I use them in very different ways to express different areas of my imagination.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“There’s definitely room for all, and I don’t want to limit what another artist might want to do with their life. For me, the artist is a high priest—a medium connecting people to a more mindful and thankful experience of life.
I don’t see art as protest, activism, or therapy. I see it as a helpful key to unlock deeper and more beautiful aspects of the personal experience.
Artists make life more joyful, meaningful, and beautiful. The artist should start with themselves and then eventually show the way towards the same richer and more connected life experience.”
Please tell us about any previous exhibitions you found noteworthy and wish to share.
“I’ve had exhibits pretty much everywhere, from New York and Cape Cod, to London, Paris, Florence and Pisa. I’ve had virtual shows in many European countries, as well as Japan and Korea.
I love an experience-focused show that takes the visitor just an extra step inside the artist’s mind. I use augmented reality, props, and a redefinition of the space to achieve just that.
During my SAILS show, a large photography series I created with the sails from my late father’s boat, I had an entire maze of ropes and sails the visitors had to enter and navigate.
For my THREADS show, another photography series, I had chunky knit pieces scattered around the rooms for people to touch, wear or even undo. People had to be in the moment, in the NOW.”
Website: www.GregSalvatori.com
