When I met Patrizia Cattaneo, founder of the Artrust art gallery, she immediately overwhelmed me with her passion for art and in particular for street art. I immediately had a good feeling with her, and this is one of the reasons why I decided to interview her, to get to know her better, to discover her world and her passions.

Interview with Patrizia Cattaneo, founder of the Artrust art gallery

HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR ART BEGIN?
There hasn’t been a particular situation or moment, I think it is something innate, which has been with me since I was a child. I studied art and was lucky enough to be able to make art my profession.

IS THERE SOMEONE, I AM THINKING OF A LOVED ONE OR A SPECIFIC ARTIST, WHO HAS BROUGHT YOU CLOSER TO ART?
In a way, yes. I remember an episode that happened in high school. That year, for the first time, lessons on the history of arts were included. The teacher showed everyone Magritte's famous work “La Trahison des images” (the one with the caption "Ceci n'est pas une pipe") and asked for an interpretation. We came up with imaginative reflections and I was the only one to point out that the author wanted to tell us that it was not a pipe, but only his image. This episode made me realize that art could be my path, because I comprehended that I could understand what I was seeing.

Moreover, if I must think of two people who have been significant for me, I would like to remember two art critics, Bruno Corà and Pietro Bellasi, who were very close to me, especially at the beginning of my activity. Among artists, on the other hand, there is certainly Daniel Spoerri, whom I have personally met and who has allowed me to draw on his great and long experience, also revealing to me the background of a world that is much more complex than what we can see.

AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO STREET ART?
In my work as a gallery owner, I had already had the opportunity to deal with works by Keith Haring, Basquiat and Banksy, artists whose alternative and different way of communicating, compared to the classic standards, has always fascinated me. Even in this case, however, thinking back, this process of approaching Street Art was quite natural. In my degree thesis I had already explored the theme of the relationship between the landscape and the work of art, so unconsciously my sensitivity had led me to move towards those types of art that enter a relationship with the surrounding environment, which is one of the peculiarities of Street Art. My first exhibition on Street Art "From Basquiat to Banksy: the kings of the street" in 2017, allowed me to get in touch with some artists and to establish numerous relationships in the urban art environment, and from there everything developed very quickly with other exhibitions, participations in sector fairs, up to the curatorship of the Maroggia Triennial 2021 "Between street and Street Art”.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WANTED TO START YOUR OWN GALLERY?
My dream was to work in an auction house, which I did. Then I founded Arvi here in Melano, which, already in its genesis, combined two of my passions: art and wine. But then art 'called' me back: opening a gallery was more of a necessity than an idea born at a precise moment. I had to deal with art in my life and founding a gallery was the natural conclusion.

IN YOUR EXHIBITIONS YOU COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS. BASED ON WHICH CRITERIA DO YOU SELECT THEM?
I am very keen to support local artists and have always tried to create direct relationships and links with them. Of course, I also collaborate with international artists: we received many resumes and portfolios every day, but even in this case, the selection often comes from cross-knowledge, meetings and exchanges. For me, it is important to have an affinity with the work of art, but also with the artist as a person. For the rest, my research is personal: I let myself be guided by my taste and my sensitivity, and if a work speaks to me and communicates something to me, then I am happy to share what has reached me with our public.

TICINO IS KNOWN AS A LAND OF ARTISTS, DO YOU THINK IT COULD ATTRACT A NEW ARTISTIC MOVEMENT IN THE FUTURE?
Ticino, partly due to its location, was in the past a crossroads for artists from northern and southern Europe, attracted by its landscapes and natural beauty. There is undoubtedly an important legacy of this tradition, even if today we are certainly not experiencing the splendour of the Monte Verità periods, especially if we look at the Street Art side, which is still struggling to emerge here. Most of the street artists who participated in the Maroggia Triennial had never worked in Switzerland. In this sense, I like to think that what we are doing, for example with the Maroggia Triennial, but not only, can make a small contribution to making Ticino a new centre of attraction for this form of art.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO FOLLOW A PATH SIMILAR TO YOURS?
Three things are indispensable: experience, curiosity and courage. As far as experience is concerned, get as much as you can: museums, auction houses, galleries... even better if abroad and also in different roles, once in contact with the public, the other with the artists, or behind the scenes or in the editorial part. In short, you have to figure out which role in the art market is most suitable for you. You also have to be curious, visit exhibitions, fairs, confront yourself with works, even those you do not like at first sight. Only with an overview can you be effective in your choices. Last but not least, you need courage, the courage to set up your own business. Initially you have to invest a lot, not only money, but also time, passion, commitment and mistakes will be inevitable, but not making them and not having the courage to try would be the biggest mistake.

We continue our journey through Ticino's art by meeting two young artists whom I particularly admire and who live in Ticino, I am talking about Serena Maisto and the Nevercrew.

Serena Maisto, a young Ticino artist projected into the future

Her age should not deceive you, because Ticino artist Serena Maisto already has numerous successes to her credit which, crossing Swiss borders, have made her known and appreciated by an international audience. Born in Mendrisio in 1982, Serena Maisto is certainly not just a painter, as her works range over many different areas, using different techniques and materials, so that each time she finds a form of expression that fully represents her. The use of colour is a real "must" for her, inspired by Jackson Pollock, the perfect representative of abstract expressionism, a movement that also inspired Serena in her early years. However, she did not stop there and continued to study new projects and new materials, even coming to the use of iron, to make her first sculpture, and photography, which she reinterprets by combining acrylic colours with shots of famous artists. Many of her works are based on the decomposition of images, resulting in subjects that are always different, as in the case of the silkscreen Smile De-composition or the Basquiat De-composition and Andy De-composition series, made on woven photographic paper. Her most recent projects include an exhibition at the Triennale in Maroggia from August 2021.

Nevercrew: street art at the service of the environment

The name Nevercrew is concealed by two Swiss artists, Pablo Togni and Christian Rebecchi, who have been working together since 1996. Their works do not go unnoticed, as their twenty years of experience have led them to specialise in revisiting large outdoor spaces, which they use to convey their message. The themes they deal with range from politics to social injustice, from ecology to the relationship between man and nature, and this implies not only a study of the techniques to be used, but also of the environments and spaces capable of offering a close relationship between the environment and the public.

Among the subjects most frequently treated are cetaceans, which are decontextualised by Never Crew to give life to a transversal message concerning the exploitation of resources, the incorrect relationship between man and nature and pollution. It is a street art that invites viewers to play, but also to reflect; at times it is ironic, but always emphasises topics of great social importance. Among the most representative projects are the Macchina Traslatrice (Translating Machine) in Cadenazzo in 2019, the Cluster in Novara, the Segnalatore Automatico (Automatic Signalling Machine) in Varese, Celsius in Lugano or the Black Machine in Turin.
These are just a few of the works created on the facades of factories or buildings by the Nevercrew, who have more than 80 projects to their credit. Their last exhibition is in 2021 at the GCA Gallery in Paris.

I hope that after reading this blog you will be intrigued and go and discover street art in Ticino.

Pamela