Between sacred and profane with the iconic visions of Salvo Ardizzone

Dialogue by Tiziano Fani Braga with Salvo Ardizzone

Salvo Ardizzone, Sicilian born in '68, the year of social change, the year of the revolution of culture, only in this year could such a whimsical artist be born, from his fresh brushstrokes and bright colors immediately notes his young and always positive soul.

Happy to be an artist and an activist from the rainbow world, in particular in the Catholic world, through the Mosaiko Cristiani LGBT+ group. His art passes from the faces of famous people, to whom he manages to give an irreverent character, up to sacred subjects, bringing us a nonconformist vision but which immediately remains impressed.

Let's start from the foundations of his path, each artist has a well -defined path, with significant passages and meetings, what were the reasons that prompted you to start doing art?

My passion for art has existed as a child. I remember in the middle school, which I was very brought by artistic education, it is the same professor he encouraged me to continue his studies on this path; In fact, I continued with the artistic high school, then continuing to architecture and scenography. After a long break from 1992 to 2012, I started to resume the tools that I loved in my training, I started painting the comics.
The choice to start again was due to an inner crisis that prompted me to seek peace and serenity in making art, I worked too much and my life was a continuous race. One of the people who have been impressed is precisely the professor of ed. Artistic of middle schools Prof. Zappalà, every time I go to my native country Biancavilla, in the Catania, for my exhibitions organized by the Municipality, I invite you to make the "cut" of the ribbon, it is an incredible emotion to have it next to it in these moments of personal success because I consider it one of the people who inspired me so much.

You had a very strong path, which led you to paint and illustrate many types of subjects, but what is your favorite subject and who get more excited?

I miei soggetti più numerosi sono legati ai personaggi televisivi, del cinema e dello Sport, in stile Pop Art. Ho sempre amato questa tipologia di corrente artistica, già nel passato avevo utilizzato queste tecniche con temi e loghi che usavo già al liceo artistico.
Ho cominciato dal logo di Diabolik fino ad arrivare a famosissimi personaggi come: Fiorello, Amadeus, Loretta Goggi, Moira Orfei e tanti altri che ho avuto personalmente la fortuna di incontrare e di donare questi ritratti che sono stati molto apprezzati. C’è da dire che io da piccolo volevo fare il critico televisivo, tutti questi personaggi che fanno parte della vita quotidiana, perché attraverso la tv entrano nelle case delle persone, mi danno continuamente uno spunto in più per poterli rappresentare e farli diventare delle vere Icone Pop.

Come hai già raccontato la tua arte ti ha accompagnato nella vita e l’hai riscoperta durante una “notte oscura” della tua esistenza, come è cambiata e come ha contribuito, anche in maniera terapeutica, il rapporto con l’arte?

La mia vita è cambiata totalmente perché, quando ti occupi di arte e qualcosa di straordinario e bello, si alza il livello della conoscenza e delle emozioni. Quando una decina di anni fa ho ripreso a dipingere, l’ho fatto perché come dicevo prima, ero in un momento particolare della mia vita. Riprendere i colori le tele ed esprimermi, mi ha in qualche modo salvato, mi ha fatto credere di nuovo alla vita e creare emozioni da trasferire agli altri.

In addition to the technique, colors and brush strokes, do you put a lot of feeling and emotions, that emotional paths do you feel while painting?

When I paint I feel free, I feel that I want to give those brush strokes, to represent what I am making and to complete it, a kind of adrenaline or a sort of "final catharsis", because 'I can't wait to see the final result of the painting. In my works I always try to transmit a message sometimes hidden or between the lines, every character I paint, behind in the background it has symbols and colors that represent it.

The art and the search for the transcendent have always had a direct connection, 80% of art has faith as their subjects, in all expressions. As we mentioned at the beginning you also painted subjects from the world of the Church, you portrayed subjects such as Pope Francis, or images with references related to faith, what is your relationship with the sacred?

I am very tied to the religious aspect, because in any case I have a past from the Salesian environment starting from elementary school with the sisters daughters of Mary Help of Christians. And then down with various groups of oratory and theater.
When I paint a theme or a character is already an "acquired" emotion, which I choose on the basis of the emotions that have aroused an event or experience, even if it is not said that you always meet the characters described.
Based on this, every now and then I go to make some painting from religious themes such as: Pope Francis, Sergio and Bacchus or some "Easter rite".
Of the painting of Pope Francis, I can say that my first exit was impressed on me that evening of his proclamation as Saint Peter's successor with his first sentence: "Brothers and sisters Good evening !!".
In the past I also created a scenography for a musical on San Francesco "Welcome poverty" of the Salesian group in the 1980s, where I also made a 1: 1 scale copy of the famous Crucifix of San Damiano.

Are you part of a group of LGBT Christians, has your art helped you to be able to communicate your identity in the world?

I can only say that three years ago for Valentine's Day, I tried my own "coming-out" personal, where I published my painting on social media. The work was "San Bacco and San Sergio", in a transposition of a painting by a contemporary artist. Already only the image looking at the two saints says everything, love the complicity transpires from their eyes.

Art is a very powerful communication tool, men have started communicating with graffiti with the 3 colors that I represented the relationship with reality, blood, light and death with graffiti. Except with his colors he illuminates the faces of his portraits, perhaps even of people who are no longer there but who live in our memory. Everyone can get in touch with his art simply through social networks Facebook Salvo Ardizzone e su Instagram Salvo.Ardizzone.Art.

Se volete contattarlo, magari anche per commissionargli un’opera potete contattarlo su salvoardizzoneart@gmail.com Tantissimi auguri a Salvo e continua su questo percorso artistico.