Interview with Adamo Macri
Newsvine | Claudio Parentela

What is your name?
Great start. Officially it's Adamo Macri, that's if you get a hold of my birth certificate. Although my mother and some friends call me Damo. As a child, my mom would belt that out when she was annoyed with me. DAMO !....

Where do you live and work?

Montreal, Quebec, the land of Cirque du Soleil, Leonard Cohen, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Vito Rizzuto and many others.

What is your creative process like?

It's a segmented cycle which involves writing, drawing, sculpture and photographic work. In my mind there must be this metaphysical activity which mimics procreation. Meaning the subsequent phase is derived by the previous one. I use the term vector for the beginning, it symbolizes the dry seed or the "just about nothing" stage, which is how it actually begins for me. By vector I'm referring to a number, a word or text. The last phase or end result is something tangible. My method simulates the process of food preparation. The amalgamation of different elements to arrive at a specific feeling or flavor.

What is your favorite medium?

I don't have a favorite. They're tools in a methodical process. It always begins with writing a word or phrase down based on an idea. Then I begin sketching. Passed that point I think sculptural and objects have to be created. Finally, the 3D work needs to be recorded and documented by means of a camera. The camera literally becomes a weapon, the weapon used to eliminate sculpture. Going back to your question, I use more than one medium, as many artists do. I'm most comfortable with being described as a multimedia artist, if the term artist doesn't suffice.

The sculptural work you create must die?

Figuratively speaking. Yes, it begins with a seed and it ends up getting "shot". It's full circle. My concept with the tangible object, "sculpture" is what I refer to as a 3D Event, the practice of anti-sculpture. It's about perceiving sculpture as occurrence and not static presence. Ironically it ends up being sculptural because the final is an installation piece, but the sculptural aspects are trapped within. The photographic segment places all objects in the past tense. In an instant, sculpture has vanished and a new reality is created. The same thing happened to my grandmother and now we have to resort to our photo album to see her. For me the resonating image is of utmost importance.

What is your current favorite subject?

It's been the same for many years and probably forever. Human nature and condition, sexuality, contamination and cultural identity, minced and fused together. These are my set commandments. Currently, I've got my Antipasto project which will be ongoing due to its scope. This project's mandate involves creating a trajectory between two iconic works, Andy Warhol's Electric Chair and Da Vinci's Last Supper. Briefly, it requires celebrity participation, in which they're asked to disclose their final meal. One of the challenges is to generate an image based on what they consume and not their physical being. I'm excited about this approach to portraiture. Food as intimate subject matter. I'm overwhelmed by the response of the many artists who've contributed to date. Another project I'm developing is Silicon 1972.5 which documents the films created by both Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini between 1969 and 1976. The objective here is a meditation into the collective subconscious, by channeling the films and their associative subject matter.

Which artists have contributed to the Antipasto project and how many do you plan to involve?

I refer to each reply received as an "order". I've received orders from John Baldessari, Karim Rashid, John Gilmore, H.R. Giger, Loretta Lux, Henry Rollins, Raine Maida, Fischerspooner, Floria Sigismondi, Edward Ruscha, Barry Gifford, Franko B, Herschell Gordon Lewis, David LaChapelle and many more. As far as the amount, I'd like a figure that symbolizes 100% split into two equal halves. Meaning, two large clusters. Each one representing and functioning as a cell. That's 2 cells of 50 which totals 100.

How long does it take for you to finish a piece?

Usually a long time. Painters have it easy that way, they need paint and a canvas, in little time they've got a finished piece. It doesn't happen that way for me. I've got project sketches from the mid eighties which would love to see the light of day. I guess funding would speed-up the cause. Actually I take back what I said - countless paintings took many years to complete.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far?

I'm not one who lives in the past. I can't and don't think that way. Everything I've done in my life has value, even the bad stuff. My answer is, what I'm working on at the moment. That excites me the most, you know... the next thing.

Are there any contemporary artists that you love?

Many - they're all great in my book, alive, buried or buried alive. It's a natural attraction, a kinship I suppose. Recently I was fascinated by Vanessa Beecroft's South Sudan project. I'm always eager to see Damien Hirst, Ron Mueck and Paul McCarthy's work. There are many.

Can we buy your art anywhere?

No, but you can contact my studio for information.

Anything that people should know about that we don't?

Yes... lots, maybe too much. But I always say, don't spill your beans at once. Expose one at a time and make each as enticing as possible. Alright, I'll go out on a limb and say... I do love just about everything in nature except three things, which coincidentally rhyme - cats, bats and rats.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?

That would be: Determine what you're about. Find the best medium and technique to communicate what that is. Remain focussed, honest and stick to your guns. This may sound typical but it's the only way.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?

Getting frustrated with what you're involved with, only means that you've been doing something wrong. Either working long hours or the project wasn't managed properly. But figuring out what doesn't work is part of the process. It should be addressed, then rectified or deleted. At times I struggle to find the missing link. It's frustrating, you're caught up in the moment, things aren't fitting properly. I believe it's time for a break. Leaving that environment works. Reinitialize... things will follow better later.

How do you describe your work to those who are unfamiliar with it?

I don't or as little as possible. I'd say that it's abstract. I'll talk about general subject matter and advise them to investigate other works which would help with what they're inquiring about. An artist shouldn't dictate his work. It's damaging to those who have a completely different perception. That goes against everything I'm about, which is variables, individualism and ambiguity. The title of the piece isn't ancillary, it's the best indicator of which direction to go. I believe that the art ornaments the title and not the other way around. There are many variables which would work as imagery but only one title.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?

Life experience mainly, tagged with my education in fine art, history and graphic design. You can have all the training you want from whichever reputable institution, but art comes from somewhere incomprehensible, from a very early stage in life.

Is there a tool or material that you can't imagine living without?

Yes, styrofoam. It's solid yet weightless, it's dry but can become organic, seems innocent but it's toxic, can be beautiful but escentially fake, is somewhat dumb and yet I can go on forever about it. Actually I'm very close to completing a new project called Endocrine Disruptor, where styrofoam takes the lead role.

Who are your influences?

Other than family, friends and environment, a handful of artists have inevitably inspired me. The prominent ones would be Salvador Dali, David Lynch, Federico Fellini, Andy Warhol, Peter Greenaway, David Bowie and Alejandro Jodorowsky.

What inspires you to create?

Everything and nothing. It just happens. I don't have a handle on it. It's taxing at times, many artists feel this way, it's very close to being possessed. I've always joked about reincarnation and that if it exists, I'd want to come back as a "normal boy" and have the need to play golf.

Your contacts?

Adamo Macri studio. I'd like to end with this. "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. His eyes are closed." Albert Einstein.

Interview with Adamo Macri
Published October 3, 2008
Newsvine - Claudio Parentela
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 "Before I asked you to be a contact, I looked through your websites and blog. I read with great interest the interview (the one a few pages from the start) on your blog. After reading it, reactions? First, wow! So intense, so direct and heartfelt. That you said, contra a painter, you're not interested in simply knocking off another canvas, but truly investigating, in order to find what you call a flavour, after a methodical process. Second, a manifold of investigating. Third, I really would like to know more. So, those are my first reactions. To interpret? How can I now?.. I am too astonished!"
~ Patrick S. Smith (Author: Andy Warhol's Art and Films, Warhol: Conversations about the Artist)

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"I am very impressed with "Damo"'s ability to express himself and describe his art in such a limited form as words. So often interviews with artists prove frustrating-trying to decipher what they mean in relation to their work. What is amazing to me is that I am not an artist, but certainly an admirer of art in all forms, and I can picture his descriptions perfectly and with ease. In particular, I can relate to the "vector" starting point. As a health care professional, this term is used to determine origins of infections in particular. In addition, his collapsing of 3-D or sculpture into photography is given a perfect analogy-his grandmother, no longer living, is now seen in 2-D with photos being the most accessible of her images.

I also like the fact he uses the term multi-media loosely-I do not believe an artist works in one medium at all. Even if you say "I am a photographer" you still render your art from one form to many others through the methodologies of the process itself. 

Adamo's "seed" is a beautiful word to describe someone who loves nature-and social/cultural studies of various aspects of the process of creating art. And art is not limited to him in one genre-he cites filmmakers, musicians, and even food as influences-and it seems it would be true that day-to-day life experience, metaphysical influence, as well as renowned artists of various skills and mediums, would form an artist's world perspective, not just certain artists and their works. So many artists either cite the greats in their field, or simply the angst or trials of life as their influences.
I am quite enthralled by this interview and certainly glad I have the wonderful privilege to experience his works, past, present, and in progress. Bravo!"
~ Diane Kerr

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"Artistry’s language becomes clear as we reach deep into the most essential meanings of each intention projected into artworks of any disciplines. Damo is not the exception. In his universe of expression, he leads us in between the spontaneous nature of his seduction done through images anyone may taste at first glance. On the other hand, he captures our attention by putting those words our brain avid of sensations, traduces into wonderful stories coming out of his different Opus and particular creations, just to tell us the way he communicates his most inner thoughts. Macri, a great story teller, that uses one of the most difficult and subjective languages in the world to communicate himself: Non verbal language."
~ Joel Juan Qui

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"I found your explanation of the process fascinating Adamo. This describes to a fault the very flow of my efforts. Likewise the masques and sculptures flow from a word and are ultimately destined for the camera. This feel is the truth of art being led by the spirit.. possibly the only truth in art. Bravo my friend!"
~ David-60

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"Adamo is so articulate, disseminating his complex ideas in such a personal way and with good humour. His set "commandments": "Human nature and condition, sexuality, contamination and cultural identity, minced and fused together," reflect a deeply probing artist who also has a flair for theatrics and spectacle, for the absurd and the sublime in all of us. It's exciting to see where he'll go next. Such untethered critical exploration and expression, across the platform of such varied media, is as vital to our souls as it is one's artistic practice. I praise Adamo most of all for being so honest. (And yes! The Antipasto Project is brilliant indeed!)"
~ Theodore Bouloukos

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""The sculptural work you create must die?". Your explanation struck me and reminded me on this: "Yet, if the images of technological reproduction are recorded 'permanently', they do not have the permanence of 'the eternal and the immutable'. They are rather, to continue Baudelaire's distinction, transitory, fugitive, contingent. They do not, as in the experience of the aura, conjure up the spirit of the beautiful; they do not carry the mystical significance and internal purposiveness of the 'living' symbol. They are, rather, 'dead' fragments that, removed from the fabric of tradition, have lost their magical animation, their 'spirit'. They are images that (...) now have no necessary end or meaning. (...) Both Benjamin and Burch are aware, in fact, that these dead fragments can always be reunified into a living whole, that the spirit of beauty can be, as Burch suggests, restored to photography." (High Techné, R.L. Rutsky).

Just had to take the time and look up this paragraph, for the conceptual basis of your work is highly intriguing. So are your ideas and creations. A perfect symbiosis."
~ Pat Paul Jammernegg

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""We never cease to help human becoming” è questo ciò che penso di me stesso, del mio ruolo, del mio agire artistico. E' questo ciò che dal mondo trans_umano di Damo ho nettamente udito. Ho udito, esatto, e non solo. Tutti i sensi sono stati coinvolti, senza sosta, senza costrizione, senza difesa, riassorbiti in un vortice di eco interminabili. Il corpo diventa partecipe dell’attraversamento di un mondo completo, sorpreso nel riappropriarsi di un ricordo mai definito o sperimentato. L’ermafroditismo è stratificazione strutturale nell’elemento artistico, criptato nei pixel, nel segno, nel suono, nella materia, nel colore. Un resoconto di ritualità diffuse, recuperate attraverso immagini scandagliate da chissà quali lontani millenni o forse dei quali più non rimane traccia. Ogni pulsare diventa traccia codificata e dispersa, la materia sfonda ogni confine, emanando ibridazioni irrinunciabili, sorgenti e oceani di richiami cosmici. Ogni identità diventa altra identità danzando incontrollabilmente tra tempo e spazio."
~ Valter Luca Signorile

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"I like his approach to the different mediums and the whole anti-sculpture concept."
~ Collins-620956

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"Totally astounding, creative & mysterious the way the seed is created with your talented thoughts from beginning to end. You're a 5 star artist !!!!!"
~ RadioJunkie

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"There are some fascinating ideas in this interview. It's inspiring seeing someone verbalize something creative that is so close to them.. I look forward to seeing more work by this artist."
~ Robert Logan

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"I like many of the ideas that Adamo puts forth. I also am inspired greatly by Dali, among literally millions of other sources. With Adamo's attitude and focus, we will be hearing from him again soon and often. Namaste."
~ Scott F. Page

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"A true artist interview. Honest, raw in places with a sensuality for creation. I especially liked the answer to the question: q) What inspires you to create? a) "Everything and nothing. It just happens. I don't have a handle on it. It's taxing at times, many artists feel this way, it's very close to being possessed. I've always joked about reincarnation and that if it exists, I'd want to come back as a "normal boy" and have the need to play golf." Only gifted artists feel like this and would dare to say it."
~ mkontaxis

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"Earlier this summer when I first heard about him, I became fascinated with Adamo Macri. After I saw pictures of his work, his art had an immediate, intimate and direct effect on me. I have been devouring everything "Damo" in terms of his art and writings ever since. I find myself totally enthralled by his uniquely soft perspectives and textures, and his rock hard indescribable imagery. And when I arrived at this place, and came across this incredibly fascinating interview, I experienced a satisfying glow of kinship with him. A kinship that springs from that "incomprehensible place" he describes where art "begins at an early stage in life". I "get" him and I love that. 

I see his work and I understand him. Every piece fascinates and speaks to me. His influences are my influences. His "don't spill your beans at once" philosophy is my philosophy. Reading this interview, and learning even more about him and his creative process and personal beliefs are particularly meaningful in understanding his work better. The "cherry on the top" of this delicious concoction of genius and process is his wonderful sense of humor which comes out in this interview. 

What a surprise! He is proudly rooted in focused "individualism and ambiguity", and he is joyously and scrumptiously innocent, illustrated by hot, sexy, resonating imagery. He takes you on a wild ride while placing "all objects in the past tense". You witness "new realities" being created as his art starts to vanish into nature. What more can you possibly ask of an artist? Here is a man who is equal in the brilliance of his heroes (Bowie, Warhol, Dali, Lynch and Fellini), and who arouses the senses with passion, sexual energy, drama and clarity."
~ Mick Conway