Monica Silva “Art beyond imagination”

Lux et Filum Project

I met Monica a few years ago in Milan for an interview. The subject of our discussion was her latest series of photographic works entitled: “My Hidden Ego”, from which several other projects and exhibitions were born. Years later, I find myself in front of her again, albeit not physically, to talk about her latest work: “Art beyond imagination”. Years have passed and many things have changed for her, for me and for all of us. One of my favourite aspects of my job is following the evolution of an individual through their career, witnessing the changes in their point of view, ideas, methods and mediums. “Art beyond imagination” is the title of Silva’s new exhibition in Milan, at the Galleria Longari Arte, which will last until 31 January 2023. She has superimposed her current perspective and vision on works of the ‘400, ‘600 and ’700 through a original and personal reinterpretation. We discussed her work via a pleasant phone call on a recent Saturday afternoon.

A-Stoned Beauty

Art Beyond Imagination: Why this title?
Creativity allows you to go beyond what you see from real life. Imagination is a powerful tool if well used and has no limits. Making art is something that remains for ever so why not not give imagination a shape? Sometimes it is even more powerful than reality. Children plays with their imagination all the time. Growing up we completely forget how free we were and that’s why this society is so fucked up!

Why did you choose these specific subjects from the past and reinterpreted them in a contemporary key?
Longari Arte is a well established Italian antiques dealer. They have a great number of masterpieces in their archives. I was asked to give a new vision of the selected art pieces in a way to convey a message of freshness and more appealing to the young art collectors generation. It’s not that easy, you know? You have to deeply study each art piece and read a lot to create an new vision of art respecting the client’s needs and my very own personality.

What is inspiration for you and what do you draw from it?
Inspiration is when you feel some shivering up the spine and underneath the skin.
It’s that urge to dig deep in and unveil it. It takes a lot of sensibility to capture the unseen and turn it into art.

If I asked you to jump into the future and have a look at your future, what would your life look like?
(laughs) I could see myself doing some gardening on a planet not too far away with lots of beautiful creatures around me. Honestly, I don’t push myself to look at what my future will be like. I’m here now. And I want to live now. If I had to push to see my future, I’d see myself in the loin, because life is becoming every day and the future is like a gestation, every day you become a new person. If people lived from day to day perhaps there would be more peace and clarity to achieve happiness instead of struggling to arrive to an uncertain future as the world changes every second and it is not for us to know for sure what the future is.

Do androids dream of electric dreams?

What do you prefer the past or the future perspective?
Past is very important. Young people don’t even imagine how useful it would be to learn more about the past for them to build a better future. If I come to see life in the past, it’s true, living was more difficult, but there was surely more dignity and a great hope. Today our society is totally lost and confused, better say, dazed and confused.
The future perspectives are very limited if we don’t learn to better run our lives. I think art today is the only way to soothe our souls and have a brighter vision of what we are and where we want to go.

What kind of reflection would you like to lead the user to?
I really like the idea that my photographs raise questions, lead to doubts. It’s a way to ignite people’s imaginations and inspire them to look within. If art does not solicit reflection, then it has not achieved its main objective, which is to bring out emotions and arouse questions.

Bacco Tabacco Et Venere

What are your future plans?
Each day I make questions on how to make a progress to my work and where to push it. I am and doing a lot of experimentations and new works. I am currently designing a series of objects for everyday life, have a project on social basis, building a team to create art installations and develop MHE a non profit organization which the main goal is thru art to bring awareness to self esteem which is the only way to live better and not to be run down during difficult moments in life.