Meet ELIDEA | Contemporary artist

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

Hi ELIDEA, why did you pursue a creative career?
I am contemporary Italian artist. I moved to Miami in 2012 .
Creativity has always been very important, an instinctive part of my life aso since the beginning of my studies. At the age of 19 I already knew what my path was and I saw no other alternative if not to be creative.
Upon finishing my studies at the European Design Institute in Milan, I began working as a graphic designer with several studios in Milan.
They have been intense and fun years that have helped me to get to where I am now.
During my life my creative path has always changed and turned into something new in which to believe and express myself.
Since I was a child I have always had a great passion in creating, then growing up I approached different expressions of art such of graphic designer, videography, photography and mixed media. Those were all fundamental steps to become the artist I am today.
Living and growing up in Italy, which I like to define as “an open-air art exhibition”, has helped me to refine my taste for beauty, history and art.
Indeed my art is connects to certain experiences of Italian culture like Mimmo Rotella, one of our greatest artists of the twentieth century.
Moving to Miami from Italy served as stimulus. I was able to reflect more on the world around me.
Miami is a city that you can never stop loving, it is a city full of energy and constantly changing. What I love the most is the union between different communities , how it elevates life, art, music and cuisine.
Miami has never been a disappointment for me, on the contrary, it has been a source of artist and personal growth.
During these 10 years I have experienced its beautiful change, especially on an artistic level, with the arrival of the international fair of Art Basel the artistic side of the city has exploded, creating a thousand opportunities for artists, like me, looking for space to express their creativity.
What I really appreciate about living in Miami as a contemporary artist is the way in which opportunities for expression are created, day after day, experience after experience. Miami is a city where if you have the skills and willingness to demonstrate what you are, it leaves you a huge open door through which to pass inside and live intensely every moment of your life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Moving to Miami from Italy served as stimulus. I was able to reflect more on the world around me. The challenges of adapting to a new country and culture, plus balancing my business and family has allowed me to grow. I feel that my art represents all women, our experiences are fragments that come together to form a beautiful and powerful whole. While I am working on my artworks I follows the creative process of transformation.
European influence is one of the keys to understanding her art that embodies the spirit of masters such as Italian artist Mimmo Rotella and German artist Gustav Klimt.
It is a mixed media process that gives each work a new life and a completely innovative vision compared to the initial photos.
First part of the process is to breaking down the figure (the original photograph): ruining, erasing, and tearing the print.
After this part is the moment to give a new life and innovative vision so I start to create a new collage, cutting and past I create multilayers of paper, then when I am satisfied with the composition I adds detail with acrylic colors, charcoal and giving life with a powerful inclusion of golden/copper/silver leafing.
What I love is to highlights the scars as the main part of the artwork and create a thick, important texture on the artwork.
A very important moment of my artistic path was when I had the opportunity to presented my project Coalesce in a solo Exhibition during Art Basel week 2021 in Miami.
There are really no words to describe the emotion I felt in finally seeing all my artworks exhibited at the beautiful location Ironside Glassbox. Coalesce is the result of a long year of work, where strong emotions accompanied me in the creation of this project. What I loved most about working on these artworks was following the creative process born from the fusion of a world made by photography, collage, painting and metal leaf.
This process is strongly connected to the message I want to share with this project about the importance of finding value in our broken pieces. Each person is “broken” at some point in her life so we need to learn how to bring light to our scars by accepting our imperfections. Every single piece of ourselves is unique and they make what we are today.

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?
South Point Beach
Perez Museum
Wynwood
Key Biscayne
Brickell city center
MorningSide park
Lot 11 skatepark
Haulower beach
Design District
Lucid art gallery design district

food:
Riviera Midtown
Salumeria 104 Midtown
Little Hen Midtown
Coyo tacos Wynwood
Monty’s South Beach
Mister 01 (Best Italian Pizza)
Mandolin Aegean Bistro
Rosetta Bakery

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

My shoutout goes to Spectrum Art Fair, Redwood art group because during During Art Basel 2018 in Miami I received the award as BEST RISING ARTIST EXHIBITOR and during Art Basel 2019 in Miami I was awarded as SPOTLIGHT ARTIST. These 2 awards really helped me in my art path, expanding my knowledge and contacts with galleries and new clients.
Also I would like to shoutout Lisa Morales of Allegory PR Service because with her work and dedication promoting my event Coalesce, helped me to achieve many new opportunity in the world of the art.
Finally I would also like to thank my husband Massimo, without him it would never have been possible to achieve all these results. Thank you for always believing in me and in my art, you, together with the support of all my friends and clients, make my artistic journey a dream come true.

Website: www.elidea.net

Instagram: arts_elidea

Facebook: elidea