We had the good fortune of connecting with Angelica Bergamini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angelica, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Deciding to pursue a career as a professional artist is already a risk that pretty much determines your life. Following my ‘call’, I left my hometown when I was nineteen to study Art in Florence (Italy). A few years later, with two grants received by the European Commission, I was offered to live, study and work in Spain, first in Granda and then in Madrid. But once I decided to try to make a living as a professional artist, I applied for an artist visa and moved to NY as soon as I got it. To follow my dream, to make a living out of my passion, I left family and friends behind, and I rebuilt a life from scratch here in the big apple. Art and risk are, I think, two words strongly interrelated. Every work evolves from an undefined landscape, that pool where the artist dwells and from which you get that spark that ignites a new creation, a new process, a new project. I often use paper in my work, but I always look for new ways to work with it. Learning a new technique always involves some risk, but that’s my way to work in search of a new texture that better represents the atmosphere I want to communicate with a specific piece.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story? 
Sometimes a challenge for me here in the city has been space. Artist studios in NYC are often small and expensive. I had a studio five times bigger in Italy than the place where I have been working for the past ten years here in Brooklyn. Simultaneously, the diverse artist community I have been experiencing here, the interactions and support that constantly grows out of it are precious gifts that make working here very special. And, as I often remind myself, there is always the possibility of making a virtue out of necessity. Exploring smaller sizes in my new series allows me to evoke a feeling of intimacy and sacredness, envisioning each work as a glimpse into the cosmic ocean of existence. Whatever the size is, my studio is my hermitage, a sacred space I nourish and cultivate, which turned out to be a very safe and beneficial environment during the pandemic. It is the home where inspiration takes form and where every morning I sit in meditation before start working. It is both the place for my creative expression and where I practice color therapy sessions and reiki circle ( I am a color therapist and Usui Reiki Master) when I am not preparing for a show. Consequently a place of healing and transformation for my clients and me. Because for me Art is healing and a direct way to access the right brain, I rely on imagery and practice to create a bridge between the unconscious and the conscious mind as I search for a more holistic view of the self and the world. In my last series, I contemplate the Cosmos as the primordial landscape and original place of birth. My way to celebrate our oneness while expanding my individual experience of the world to an awakened sense of interdependence. Blue has been the only hue I have been using in the past year to represent the eternal cosmic waters. Being the color of isolation and trust, it suggests a place of reflection and detachment, eternity and the beyond; that is why we imagine our ancestors residing in the night starry sky, seen as the sacred place of origins.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are plenty of things to do in a week in NYC. One of my favorite places will always be the Guggenheim museum, no matter what new is in the city. The way the museum is designed and the fact that it is in front of the park makes it for me a very relaxing experience. I would begin with a walk in the morning starting from Bryant Park with a quick visit to the New York Public Library – (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building). And from there, walking on the Fifth av along Central Park to reach the museum. A few hours visit and then lunch at the Wright, the restaurant of the Guggenheim. In the afternoon, I would then take my guest to the Lower East Side to get the vibe of one of the most authentic and still diverse places in Manhattan. We could visit some art galleries or wander in the neighborhood until it is time for an aperitif and dinner in one of the many places the LES offers.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The list of the people who supported me and inspired me all these years would be very long. But I want to remember and dedicate this shoutout to Nicole Gagne, one of the first people I met when I arrived in this country. She opened her studio to me and offered me space to work. She introduced me to the artists’ community she was involved which turned out to be a very supportive environment during my first years in NY. I am grateful to my soul mate, whom I met here in the States, and he is still one of my strongest supporters. I am thankful to the art galleries I collaborate with and to my art collectors who sustain me. They all represent a web of interdependence that makes it possible for me to keep doing what I love. And I dedicate this shoutout to all women artists of the past—those tenacious women who made art when they did not have any rights or access to Fine Arts Academies. And who paved the way to the following generations.

Website: https://www.angelicabergamini.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelica_bergamini/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelica.bergamini.9

Youtube: https://vimeo.com/angelicabergamini

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