| Eroticism always interested me as a theme as old as the history of art, as it makes references to the customs, life, and culture of societies. |  |
Carlo Giovani
Eroticism always interested me as a theme as old as the history of art, as it makes references to the customs, life, and culture of societies.
A few years ago, when I came across the art of erotic Japanese Edo period, I realized how much a representation of sexual practices and habits without preconceptions or judgments of moral value could be aesthetically and pictorially rich.
I noticed that there was much to be counted in our society through our sexual habits and our involvement with eroticism. So I began to draw based on some ideas of George Bataille and the Marquis de Sade, which make a connection between limits, extremes, and eroticism.
As background for my erotic images, I decided to explore another theme, food. Together, these two elements that accompanied the human ancestors since the beginning of our existence have never ceased to be part of our lives, and have become incredibly important in mass culture and explored ostensibly in the industry.
Sex, through the porn industry, has grown richer and found an environment of limitless possibilities on the Internet. Tons of processed food to be eaten has been dumped in minutes into an increasingly fat population, without criterion, in a world where the weight is worth more than the taste. The mass entertainment of joining the two things in a show of insatiable consumption, fast and fleeting, leaves everyone hungry because of its lack of consistency.
However, this still represents a part of our culture, our pop universe, and of our historical moment. This is also a fundamental part of my issue as an artist, and the point I want people to question in their lives and explore: the forgotten rituals, the sex, the consumption, the entertainment, and the extremes of the images of the ephemeral and forgotten.
My process of creation begins with a text that I read or write, some news, or an Internet page of the newspaper classifieds—some of my works are created from the ads of girls from programs stuck in payphones or flyers. These ideas are materialized through sketches, and from this point onwards, the process depends on the technique that I use to finish the artwork.
My most recent works are being finalized in three-dimensional structures, but may be considered packages, such as juice boxes, instead of sculpture. They will be finished in silk on cotton paper, and then mounted in a small series of 50 copies.
The idea of using elements of the food industry, such as juice boxes, and their means of production is very interesting for the concept of my art and is an idea that I want to explore more.
