Ottavia Plazza: Painting as Living Language
Born in 1992 in Alessandria, Italy, Ottavia Plazza studied at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti di Torino, where she currently resides and creates. In 2015, she was a co-founder of Spazio Buonasera in Turin. Her inaugural solo exhibition, titled 'Che il mondo intero sia di polvere rossa,' took place in 2019, followed by 'Interno Viola' at Bitcorp in Milan. In 2018, she engaged in the Qrated workshop at the Quadriennale di Roma. Plazza's artwork has been showcased at venues such as Basis in Frankfurt, Sabaudade Las Palmas, Il Cicaleto in Arezzo, and Villa Vertua Masolo in Milan. Influenced by David Hockney and Sienese Quattrocento artists, she predominantly uses oil on large canvases to create 'spaces of solitude' infused with autobiographical themes.
Key facts
- Ottavia Plazza born 1992 in Alessandria, Italy
- Trained at Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti di Torino
- Co-founded Spazio Buonasera in Turin in 2015
- First solo show 'Che il mondo intero sia di polvere rossa' at Spaziobuonasera, Turin, 2019
- Solo show 'Interno Viola' at Bitcorp for art, Milan, 2019
- Two-person show at Edicola Radetzky, Milan
- Selected for Qrated workshop at Quadriennale di Roma in 2018
- Group exhibitions at Basis (Frankfurt), Sabaudade Las Palmas (Lisbon), Il Cicaleto (Arezzo), Villa Vertua Masolo (Milan)
- Primary influence: David Hockney
- Also cites Sienese Quattrocento painters, Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Velázquez, Matisse, Munch, Kirchner, Morandi, Salvo, Sol Calero, John McAllister, Katharina Grosse, Josh Smith, Dana Schutz, Tamara MacArthur, Erik Saglia, Guglielmo Castelli, Thomas Braida, Maddalena Tesser
- Inspired by Pompeian frescoes, medieval frescoes, Simone Martini, and Minoan palace of Knossos
- Works primarily in oil on canvas or paper, prefers large format (2 x 5 meters)
- Rarely makes preparatory sketches; paints directly on canvas
- Describes painting as creating 'spaces of solitude'
- Uses autobiographical elements from childhood home, including a trompe-l'oeil
- Listens to Radio 3 while painting; titles often from radio phrases
- Views painting as a living language
Entities
Artists
- Ottavia Plazza
- David Hockney
- Rosso Fiorentino
- Pontormo
- Velázquez
- Matisse
- Munch
- Kirchner
- Morandi
- Salvo
- Sol Calero
- John McAllister
- Katharina Grosse
- Josh Smith
- Dana Schutz
- Tamara MacArthur
- Erik Saglia
- Guglielmo Castelli
- Thomas Braida
- Maddalena Tesser
- Simone Martini
Institutions
- Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti di Torino
- Spazio Buonasera
- Bitcorp for art
- Edicola Radetzky
- Quadriennale di Roma
- Basis
- Sabaudade Las Palmas
- Il Cicaleto
- Villa Vertua Masolo
Locations
- Alessandria
- Italy
- Turin
- Milan
- Rome
- Frankfurt
- Lisbon
- Arezzo
- Knossos