Fabio Marullo on Painting, Ritual, and the Xanthium Strumarium Seed

Fabio Marullo (Catania, 1973), currently based in Milan, discusses his artistic journey and current research in an interview. After studying Architecture and Conservation at IUAV Venice, he lived in Berlin, Beijing, and Copenhagen. His uncle Claudio Marullo, an informal painter reviewed by Crispolti, gave him a wooden frame at age 20, which he still uses. Marullo's practice is methodical and ritualistic: he paints daily, often in large vertical formats, and considers painting a form of prayer. His recent work focuses on the Xanthium strumarium seed (nappola), a bur-producing plant that overwinters as a seed. This interest was sparked during a residency in Copenhagen, where he encountered the work of Danish botanist Niccolò Stenone and read Jacques Monod's "Chance and Necessity" (1970). Marullo explores the ambiguity between plant and stone, macro and micro, using oil on linen. He notes that Italian painting lacks international visibility despite a recent resurgence of manual painting. The interview is part of the "Pittura lingua viva" series on Artribune.