Elisa Montessori: 'L'arte è un virus'

Elisa Montessori, 87-year-old Italian painter, reflects on her recent exhibition 'Lungotevere' at Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, curated by Anna Cestelli Guidi. The show featured works inspired by the Tiber River, using a wall-like preparation of canvases reminiscent of plaster. Montessori discusses her technique of 'muro contro muro' (wall against wall), avoiding color to let the wall speak. She describes her art as open, ambiguous, and temporal, emphasizing that she is 'temporanea' (temporary) rather than contemporary. The interview covers her use of symbols like slippers (pantofole), which represent both the first thing seen in the morning and the last left behind at death. Montessori addresses the role of women in art, noting that despite changes, women are often tokenized. She calls art a 'virus' that sustains her through life's hardships. The artist cites Emilio Vedova's description of her mark as 'segno vento' (wind sign) and connects her practice to Marco Polo's 'Il Milione'. The interview was published on Artribune.