Silvia Argiolas on Painting, Desire, and the Female Gaze

In an interview with Artribune, Sardinian-born painter Silvia Argiolas (Cagliari, 1977) discusses her practice, influences, and the recurring female figures in her work. Based in Milan, Argiolas cites Mike Kelley, Chris Ofili, and Aníbal López (A-1 53167) as key influences. She describes drawing as curative and integral to her process. Her 2019 solo show 'Ti amo dal profondo del mio odio' at Richter Fine Art in Rome explored love and hate, inspired by a photographed graffito and Fassbinder. The exhibition also featured a video deconstructing telenovela clichés. Argiolas views eroticism as a tool to discuss power, and her compositions emerge from emotional states through accumulation of signs. She admires poets Pasolini, Penna, and Bellezza, and novelist Michel Houellebecq. Her work has been shown at Artissima (2017), Casa Testori, Galerie Rompone (Cologne), and Robert Kananaj Gallery (Toronto). She names contemporary Italian painters Alessandro Pessoli, Giuliano Sale, and Iva Lulashi as peers she respects.