Maria Teresa Salvati every month presents photographers seen through their intimate and personal motivation, their Spot of Beauty.
Italian visual artist based in London, using the language of photography, collage, archives and drawings, to explore issues related to the contemporary social and ecological crisis.
The artistic research focuses on several elements, some scientific others interpretative and personal, related to life experiences. Moved by the urgency to share with the viewer her concerns, but also hope for the future, the creative production is enriched with functional elements, useful to interrogate those who look at it. The desire is for those who view the projects to get rid of any preconceived thoughts and beliefs. Through the act of emptying, and by absorbing the visual stimuli, the author attempts to give a chance to the viewer to cloth eyes and consciousness, with new awareness. Emptying to rebuild, build from the rubble, give things a second chance, is something that has always been part of her life. The ballet, the discipline, the effort and the ability to smile anyway, taught her that we can only go ahead and that even from troubling situations, something can be done to straighten the course.
Ever since she was a child, Sara had some difficulties in written expression, due to her mild dyslexia (she used to exchange letters for numbers), she could not properly speak about abstract themes. Visual art, as a consequence, has become her expressive language, and ability to speak, without using the word. The thoughts mirror the creative expression, as well as the narrative’s flow: fragmented and irregular. The construction of the stories follows the stream of consciousness of a person who, since the early years of adolescence, feels the urge to understand and analyse the world and to communicate with others the need to finding alternative ways of living and perceiving life in order to make our society a bit better, before it’s too late.
about ‘Extinction Isn’t a Good Title’ – words by Sara Nicomedi:
‘Extinction isn’t a good title’ is a project started in 2017 as a reflection on the future of the human species on Earth.
We are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction. Two hundred species disappear every day. The last United Nations summit on climate change stated that we have ten years left to avoid the catastrophe by keeping the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees.
Such awareness has led me to question my choice of becoming a mother in the present historical context. Through this project, I analyse myself, as memories resurface and reflect on the strength of life and the deepest sense of existence.
Extinction – isn’t a good title – recounts three generations: that of my grandmother, who lived in conjunction with what is considered to have marked the beginning of the great acceleration of our era called the Anthropocene, then that of my parents and down until today.
Through the use of representative images, self-portraits, documentary photos, archives, and collages, I analyse the relationship that exists between the past and the present, our actions today and their possible impact on future generations.
I aim to emphasize that this is the time to rebuild awareness on our actual needs, what kind of future we want on the Earth and how to act accordingly.
Can we transform the current climate and social crisis into something useful for the reinforcement of empathy among human beings and hence, allow ourselves to evolve on a spiritual and emotional level?
