Linking Lives Exhibition: Interview with the Artist. Martina Carbone.
After being part of Linking Lives exhibition, curated by Irene Sánchez Gómez, Martina Carbone reflects on her art in an interview with Myriam Martínez Gómez.
Martina Carbone describes herself as “a multimedia artist from Salento, in the south of Italy”. “The place where I was born and grew up influenced me a lot. I feel very connected to my roots”. “[I’m also] a woman and a performer who loves listening to people”.
“My art it’s born from my life experiences, but at a certain point I was conscious that what I am doing it’s [intrinsecally] political because of the themes I explore. And when that happens, you have a responsibility: you have to be precise and study a lot [to adress these issues]“. “I would love to accelerate my [creative] process, but I can’t. I think art needs time, and if I push it I can’t get good results“.
Martina’s artistic research starts from the reinterpretation of female ceremonies and popular traditions of the Mediterranean. Through experimentation with different media, she opens a field of action free from hierarchical and exclusionary structures. “I suffered a lot from the gender inequality in my hometown -the women of my family as well, my grandmother, especially-. When I was a child, I only had these women to look up to, and it was difficult for me to understand what I saw”. “[After] studying in Rome and working there for eight years, I grasped the difference between a big city and a small town. And I [finally] understood that gender inequality is everywhere”. “So, on the one hand, Salento has these deep-rooted problems, but on the other hand, it has given me the chance to talk about them through its own languages, its themes and folk culture”.
Her work ‘R:OSARIUM:)’ is an exploration of language within the Catholic liturgical framework of solo or collective prayer. The video installation and the performance brought to BARDO’S Linking Lives exhibition the fundamental elements of this ritual gesture, such as the necklace to be wrung to guide the rhythm of the prayer and the lit candle. Instead of a booklet with written prayers, Martina recites her own text from her mobile phone. The text is also displayed via QR code for those who wish to participate in the prayer, by entering reactions and emojis or simply reading the text.
“I explore the female world and its issues through digital art because I think technology is the field that right now reproduces bias and reproduces rituals”. “[…] technology is connected with our body, and we think in a digital way”. “Maybe some people can feel that digital art it’s ‘colder’ than the more traditional physical art, but I think that the topic of my work helps me and the audience to approach it differently”. For example, “In ‘R:OSARIUM:)’, the monitor it’s not just a screen on the wall, it becomes a frame on the altar”. “I collect material that is already around me: sounds, video, stories, perceptions… and then I look for the best way to show what I felt during that process”.
“In my work, time reflects inequality”. It’s clear in ‘R:OSARIUM:)’, but in ‘THE VELOCITY OF LOVE’ as well. “‘THE VELOCITY OF LOVE’ is a sound installation. I call it ‘sound sculpture’ because it’s a kitchen where, instead of the hobs, there’s speakers. Women are traditionally the caregivers, and cooking, praying, etc. needs time”. “The inspiration for ‘THE VELOCITY OF LOVE’ came from listening to choirs in churches, so sound was the heart of the project”. “‘R:OSARIUM:)’ starts from an image, not a sound: these women around an altar praying together. Different people, from different generations, who, in that moment, can communicate and understand each other, even if they can’t in other situations”. “I’ve always been at peace in that moment, although I’m not Catholic, my family is, so I have always been connected to its rites and ceremonies”.
In her ‘R:OSARIUM:)’ performance “I use AI not to generate something – that comes with an environmental responsability among other things -, but to communicate with this tool that is so present in our daily lives now. I pray through digital language, and ChatGPT reminds me of the angels in the Bible, it’s like a messenger“. And also a know-all entity. “Everyday we share our data, our identity, with big companies and powerful people, and I don’t feel comfortable with that but I think it’s important that artists use AI. We have to be up to date so we can participate and raise awareness about it’s issues and make the most of it’s opportunities“. Martina knows it well, she is teaching AI courses too. “Art is like any other field: if you’re not seizing the moment, it could be harder to make space for yourself“.
In the digital art bubble, “You’re underestimated just because you are a woman. I’m able to do ’big work’ in terms of technology, but people act surprised because they expect you to know only so much“. In addition, “It’s difficult to make money out of it. ‘R:OSARIUM:)’, for example, could have merchandising (the bracelets and the necklace we’ve done in the workshop), but sound installations, videos… It’s very complicated; you can sell a painting but not these“. However, “I’m a multimedia person before I’m a multimedia artist, so it doesn’t affect me too much because it’s not my only source of income. Right now, I’m working as an art director for a video game besides being a teacher“. “I’m happy because, if it wasn’t like that, maybe I would feel more confined as an artist“.
“I think it’s instinctive that places like BARDO, people like Irene, contact me: it’s very clear what I do“, and it fits perfectly with the FLINTA approach of BARDO. “This isn’t the best period of my life in terms of time and scheduling, but I really wanted to be here, because I thought it could be important for people, for me, for the space“. “And I’m happy [about making that call] because there’s a tangible energy here that helps artists – in this case, me – to work better. It was very easy to solve problems, to manage everything“.
“In the future, I can see myself not only as an artist, but as a manager of my own place as well“. “I’m already working with my brother to renovate a theater in Salento. It will be a challenge, for sure, but I want to build community, offer networking opportunities, I think it’s really necessary to have spaces where culture can flourish, and so can the people“.
When she was a little girl, Martina learned one of the most important traditions of Salento, the Pizzica Taranta, behind closed doors. According to popular belief, the bite of a tarantula (Pizzico della Tarantola) caused women to enter a trance-like state characterized by frenetic movements and emotional explosions. The only form of healing was the frenetic and hypnotic rhythms with tambourines and violins, that give rise to a cathartic dance designed to free those affected, known as ’pizzicate’. Thankfully, she can share her unique vision with the whole world.
Myriam Martínez Gómez
