Jorge Macchi on Music, Image, and Form in His Artistic Practice

Argentine artist Jorge Macchi (born 1963, Buenos Aires) discusses his relationship with music, image, and form in an interview with Davide Dal Sasso. Macchi, who studied piano for eight years from age 15, draws parallels between musical structures and his visual art, emphasizing repetition, transparency, and symmetry. He describes images as pre-material entities that precede ideas and representation. His current solo exhibitions include 'Suspension Points' at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano and 'Der Zauberberg' at Quartz Studio in Turin. At Galleria Continua, works such as 'Buried and Alive'—a semi-transparent brick wall inspired by Edgar Allan Poe—and 'Portal', a standing zipper suggesting a potential space, are on view. Macchi stresses the primacy of direct experience over interpretation, and views the artist as a guide who leaves traces for viewers to navigate. His watercolors serve as a daily 'image factory' with a surrealist approach. Macchi represented Argentina at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005 and his works are held in major collections including Tate Modern, MoMA, MUSAC, CGAC, Fundación Arco, MUHKA, and SMAK.