Anita Cerpelloni

Italy
paperprojectvenice@gmail.com


As an interdisciplinary visual artist, my practice unfolds through dialogue among different artistic languages.
My research focuses primarily on environmental themes, which profoundly shape—and will increasingly continue to shape—the lives of all living beings. Trees occupy a central place in my work: ancient witnesses to life on Earth, they embody a timeless proximity to human existence across eras.
The act of visiting gardens and parks around the world represents a fundamental component of my creative process, allowing me to reconnect with my deepest inner essence. Alongside this, my research extends to the cultures and traditions of the places I encounter, understood as expressions of the relationship between humanity, territory, and landscape, and as reflections of a shared human essence.
Trained as an architect, I have long been engaged with the principles of sustainable architecture. Through paper, canvas, and architectural surfaces, my work seeks an ancient harmony between humankind and the Earth. In this regard, I draw particular inspiration from Far Eastern cultures, whose philosophies resonate with the pursuit of balance and harmony that informs my artistic inquiry.
Harmony, however, is not conceived as an absence of tension or contradiction; rather, it emerges through friction, paradox, and, at times, provocative gestures. Artistic research thus becomes a means of cultivating inner harmony and fostering a collective, empathetic sensibility. Through my work, I aim to restore a heightened human sensitivity toward the natural world and to reactivate the primordial bonds between nature and human consciousness.
Paper is my primary medium. Its manipulation—of a material both simple and noble—constitutes a transformative and cathartic process, rooted in presence and attentiveness to the “here and now,” akin to a meditative practice. The two-dimensional sheet holds the potential to generate entire universes of form, evolving into three-dimensional structures, sculptural textures, decorative elements, and design objects. Employing paper engineering techniques, I create three-dimensional sculptural surfaces integrated with LED lighting.
The diffused light filtered through paper generates intimate, contemplative, and meditative atmospheres. The transformation of a flat surface into a three-dimensional sculptural form through folding remains, for me, a source of continual wonder.
My practice also encompasses oil painting, acrylics, watercolors, wood and metal engraving, fine art printing, lithography, screen printing, Western and Eastern calligraphy, and collage on paper and canvas. These diverse languages frequently converge within artist’s books, conceived as spaces of synthesis and experimentation.
The multiplicity of media and techniques enables an open and exploratory practice, grounded in the belief that the fusion and interaction of different artistic languages generate ever-evolving, unexpected perspectives.