Living structures both literal and figurative stir a depth of emotion reflected in his art
Musco! Musco! Musco!
Everyone should be shouting out his name with passion, and glory. What an inspirational man, through his prowess of humanism, raw, unique collective art forms he pulls out all the stops and creates powerful, beauteous work. To know him, is to love him, as Angelo Musco is a true fighter and tackles all adversity.
Because of a difficult birth, Angelo sustained some physical damage, which was quite the struggle. He nestled in his mother’s womb for eleven months, and soon after he was brought into this world there were complications. His father raced him to the hospital, and he survived. He is quite the force of nature. Through tenuous physical therapy, love from family and friends, he forged forward with the intent to have sense of the right side of his body. He prevails. Due to this tumultuous time in his life, he lives and breathes it into his art. Musco, is equipped to take on anything and provide the world with captivating vision. Once you view his work, you are not only thrown into it, but there is irreverent emotion that will arise.
Born in Naples, Italy, he was the youngest of five children. In his earlier years his parents sent him off to Catholic school as they had expected a more nurturing environment in order to care specially for their son. There, he was inspired by the boats that passed by the water line just outside of the school. In his later years, he was an exchange student in Granada, Spain where his family supported him by paying his rent, but not much else. As a student, he struggled to survive, which then led him to be creative with his painting materials since those were very costly. Angelo began using interesting materials such as fire, stone and the bodies of his colleagues. When he went back to Naples he had a Professor/Mentor that introduced him to Contemporary Art, where he learned all the aesthetics, knowledge of installation, and exploration of his true artistic self.
Angelo shot The Parthenogenesis Sequence, which consists of a video featuring 11 locations that relate to his life and are all situated on the 41st parallel amongst them are Naples, his birth city; New York City where he resides currently, amongst nine other compelling locations that helped him capture images of pregnancy at its most veracious moments. There are 11 videos of eleven minutes each, running all at the same time.
Musco dives into all of his work with tenacity and expressiveness.
An Interview with Italian Contemporary Artist, Angelo Musco
At what point in your life did you feel you were destined to be creative, an artist?
Even when I was in elementary school I was drawing, so I have always been doing art. It has always been a part of my life and I have been lucky enough that the market is supporting me.
As a child, what are some of your fondest memories?
I have fond memories of summer vacations out of the city with my whole family at a summerhouse. It was a simple place situated between the mountains and the beach. There were no TV’s just adventures with friends and connecting with nature. Themes of nature are very present in much of my work today.
As an adult, what are some of your fondest memories of Italy?
I think anytime I return to Italy I have a wonderful comfort visiting family and old friends and feeling that sense of tradition and community. Often this relates to holidays, special family times, and personal celebrations.
Do you believe in fate or destiny?
I believe in energy, inspirational things and the power of creativity. When the creative drive is strong you see amazing things happen with artists and what they envision and produce.
What are some key differences for you in working in Italy versus NYC…or any other location that has inspired you?
Since my career really started after I left Italy, I don’t think I can comment on working in Italy but what I can say is that I have found support and opportunities in NYC that I might not have had access to in Italy. NYC connects to all parts of the world and my work has benefited from a multitude of relationships. I also feel things are less taboo and at least in NYC less conservative, which has also encouraged me to experiment and find my creative language. The work is very involved and expensive to produce and I owe a great deal to those who sponsored and supported my earlier efforts and continue to connect to my work today.
The documentary about your work, your life, CONCEPTION, what do you hope people take away emotionally from this film?
I hope they will understand the life commitment it takes for an artist to find his or her voice and the space for it to develop. There are emotional costs with this lifestyle. I left my country, the support and security of family and everything I was familiar with but it was a venture or gamble I knew I had to make and again I feel very fortunate to be working as an artist today.
Do you feel the way the world has been in so much turmoil with terrorist acts, lack of humanity in some countries, the economic duress…have those factors effected your work in anyway?
The reality of today affects us as people; everything we do is the product of the air we breathe, the emotions we feel, the images we see. So while my work may not comment directly on what is happening in the world, my mood and emotions are connected to what is happening around me.
Who has influenced you in your life as a person, and as an artist and why?
There has been a combination of influences on my expression and choice of subjects from both Classic and Contemporary worlds. There are many artists who I feel connected to for a variety of different reasons. I admire the power, severity and strength of Mategna, or there are the whimsical landscapes of Bosch or the vision and social philosophy of Joseph Beuys that all have come into play… and there are others who at different times have helped feed and inspire me.
More recently, director Robert Jason approached Angelo to feature him in an ambitious documentary where most of the footage will be filmed in Italy and he has a very sophisticated vision of Angelo’s art. Italian’s and everyone all over should look forward to more of Angelo Musco’s artistic ventures.
Please visit Brain Child Films website below in order to become a sponsor for the documentary which will premiere in Lincoln Center October, 2013. You may also buy tickets there for the Premier and Private Cocktail Reception.
And be sure to visit the website of Angelo Musco at: www.angelomusco.com
By Rosanne Lucarelli Miranda
~ Italia Living NYC Area Features Columnist
Rosanne balances her time between working countless hours in the NYC commercial real estate field, spending time with her loving family & friends, writing screenplays, along with featured stories for Italia Living and covering NYC events.