Miguel gave me a BEAUTIFUL book over the weekend of an artist that I did not know of, Paolo Ventura.
Ventura is a Brooklyn based (Go Brooklyn!) Italian expat and his images explore the real and imagined memories of his youth and his country. Close to my heart, he constructs elaborate sets or dioramas as his subject matter out of such found and relatively base materials as wood, plastic, and foam core. He additionally integrates found objects and tiny props from miniature dealers (think dollhouses). Shockingly, he apparently creates each of these little, complex worlds that are so filled with ambiance for only about $30.00!
In other words, Ventura is a shaman, and I realize more and more that the kind of art that I am attracted to, the kind of art that I hope we make at DSI is art that relies on the magic of transformation.
Needless to say, the below photos are inspired fantasies, and behind the curtain, Ventura is OZ making it happen. I love that.
D.
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