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“Monica di Bianca” is the first piece in my “Monica” collection and an homage to my grandmother, Bianca Asia (née Rossello) Compangnone.
Quick background: “Monica” isn’t a woman, it’s an identity.
Monica is a local grape varietal central to Sardinian wine. It’s woven into the culture though it’s origins are lost to history.
I gravitate to concepts that link today and the past.
Bonus points for those that are central to an emotion, culture, and identity.
“Monica” links to my own Italian/Sardinian heritage, my last collection, “Xinomavro” (another obscure wine varietal), and to the handworked, black (it’s a black grape) nature of the greater body of my earlier work - a style whose origin is, even tome, a bit fuzzy at this point.
View the “Xinomavro” collection here.
Bianca Asia (née Rossello) Compangone, or as I called her growing up, “Nanny”, was that central, matriarchal figure in my family.
My understanding of my past started with her, she was the foundation of my family, and she was critical to who I am today.
But I never knew much of where she came from, her past, and what lineage produced her.
She just seemed to be the start of it all - knowing, full well, that was not true.
It seemed fitting that I’d begin this collection with that homage, and that reference point.
This so familiar of a woman, Bianca (white) with a backdrop of a black grape of mysterious origins only amplified this underlying tone and used throughout the collection.
My past work (an intro) is of this same black, white, and red color palette but I’ve recently branched into the world of color.
I love the idea of an old gene resurfacing in new generations.
Self portrait, 2010. An intro to my work here.
Something new, each generation and individual as something unique, but having a thread, based in our past, that weaves us together, with meaning, and a sense of our own origins.
You may not love this piece as I loved Nanny, but I hope that you understand a little more what went into this work and have a sense for what it means to me.
For more information and a complete view of my work, take a look at whackwhack.art.
View the collection’s Artist Statement
Shop the collection on OpenSea
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