Giada Carnevale on Tattooing, Mourning, and Micro-Communities

Giada Carnevale (born 1986 in Vigevano, Italy) creates art rooted in anthropological and sociological inquiry, often engaging with micro-communities. Her ongoing performance 'A good mourning place' involves a performer tattooing participants with the phrase 'PANGI 4EVER', dedicated to her late German Shepherd Pangi. The work blurs boundaries between performance and action, exploring themes of memory, loss, and transformation. Carnevale collaborates with artist Arcangelo Costanzo, a member of the BB5000 collective, as the performer. She compares tattooing to the experience of death, citing Barthes' concept of photography as capturing a moment of irreversible change. Another related work, 'Mi casa es tu casa', invited guests to receive a childlike house tattoo during a housewarming party. Carnevale's practice emphasizes empathy, allowing her to inhabit others' perspectives. She is also a member of the /77 collective alongside Giulia Ratti, Alessandro Moroni, Nicole Colombo, and Luca Loreti. The interview was conducted by Artribune as part of its 'Who is Who' series, in collaboration with Viafarini and Progetto77.