Sometimes, the secret worlds of an artist do not emerge in full light, but rather from the darkness, which cradles them to keep them protected and hidden. At times it is painting that reveals them; on other occasions, it is sculpture, drawing or photography that brings them to light. Roberto Alfano (1981, Lodi) imagines that the world is an open system, built on continuous relationships. From this belief stems his ability to create a fluid and ongoing interplay of mutual contamination between different expressive languages. For this reason, the act of combination is the most natural action Alfano performs to give life to hybrid images, which are placed in relation to something else different until they become disjointed in meaning and deny any resemblance to reality. In this way, regardless of the medium used, a sliver of light opens onto unreal creatures, whose body parts allow for vital contact with the outside world. Thus, lungs, hands, noses, eyes, ears and feet are enlarged and disproportionately surreal. These anomalous forms are precisely what allow him to remain deliberately childlike, both in the irregularity of the outlines and in the choice of pure, vibrant colors. It seems that what he received as a gift from his childhood still flows within him, and this rudimentary naivety is likely nurtured by the collective, workshop-based work he regularly conducts with children and individuals with disabilities, who are able to preserve a genuine and direct expressiveness. Therefore, the unthinking trace of the act of drawing leads him to work with the formless, reminding us how, compulsively in our youth, each of us once possessed a now-lost gift: the ability to draw without ever acknowledging the mistake.
Roberto Alfano in his studio, Lodi, 2022, ph. credit Davide Sabbatini, courtesy the Artist
Moreover, the abandonment of verisimilitude and the continual shift from one technique to another make the artwork an experience of physical trace even before it suggests a figure. Indeed, regardless of the medium – be it canvas, panel or photographic paper – the mark left by the friction of whatever tool the artist wields becomes evident. Thus, the form remains naturally open and pulsating with life, a joyous and pure act, both raw and free from technical constraints. For Alfano, drawing, painting, or sculpting is akin to surrendering to a flow of visions that urgently demand to surface – fleeting projections that appear and vanish suddenly. It is therefore quite natural that many of the figures display physical distortions, such as disproportionate mouths and eyes chaotically placed in other parts of the body. This formal confusion strikes deeply, as the total disharmony, though seemingly joyful in its emergence, can at times feel even painful – when something is brought to light that perhaps does not belong to this world. This imagery likely stems from a personal mental disorder – not to be seen as a weakness, but rather as a strength of the artist, placing him in a rare and precious state of dislocation, one capable of offering us a different vision of everyday life.
Roberto Alfano in his studio, Lodi, 2022, ph. credit Davide Sabbatini, courtesy the Artist
Given the scarce references to reality and the strong symbolic and metaphorical value that permeates Roberto Alfano’s entire artistic production, it is worth asking: what value does the studio space hold for the artist? How does he manage this environment? What objects inhabit and influence the creation within this space? Although the act of execution may appear quick and impetuous, for Alfano the artwork is more comparable to the page of a disordered prose writer than that of a poet. It is an uninterrupted, overloaded stream of images, with a raw appearance that heralds a joyfully confused creation – where, unlike in much contemporary artistic research, questions of aesthetic beauty and imitation do not lead to an opening of horizons, but instead pose a threat of creative darkness. In this sense, his creatures exist somewhere between the quiet happiness of existence and the melancholy of a dream never fulfilled, only barely touched. That is why each scene – as in the works on display at the exhibition A Matter of Light, held at SPAZIOC21 in Reggio Emilia and open until June 21, 2025 – invites us to reflect on the value of fluidity in artistic techniques. It reveals the importance of inhabiting the studio space with the same freedom and ease that defines Alfano’s entire creative practice. In this place, as in his works, one breathes a union of spirituality and visibility – a kind of inner surreality that does not aim to imitate nature, but instead to generate a symbolic meaning that is deeply untranslatable, and thus remains mysterious. The following questions, then, aim to reveal how the studio, for Alfano, is an intimate and reserved space – at times unsettling, at others rarefied. It is a suspended, estranging territory, dense with lacerating presences that strike the stomach and caress the skin. It is, fortunately, a space rich in mistakes, actions, and relations of the self in the presence of watchful otherness.
Roberto Alfano in his studio, Lodi, 2022, ph. credit Davide Sabbatini, courtesy the Artist
Maria Vittoria Pinotti: How do you choose the expressive forms you adopt?
Roberto Alfano: The choice can vary depending on my emotional state and the context. I tend to choose drawing and painting when I’m in an intimate or reflective mood, or when I need to urgently release a whole series of overwhelming emotional contents. In a way, it’s the same for sculpture – at least when it’s not meant for public installations or participatory projects.
How important is the formless in a work?
The formless represents spontaneous and instinctive gesture – it’s a dialogue with error, aimed at processing it, valuing it, and turning it into a tool. It’s the ever-evolving form of transformation. The formless carries an identity-based value within my artistic practice and beyond.
Roberto Alfano, “A matter of light”, 2025, installation view, ph. credit Fabrizio Cicconi, courtesy SPAZIOC21, Reggio Emilia
How do you organize the spaces in your studio?
The studio is divided into two areas: the archive and the working space. These are clearly defined zones but still remain interconnected. I like to have all the phases of my recent production present, so I can look back and evaluate the progress of my research and its connection with both my personal experience and the society around me, which inevitably influences my work.
What essential aspects of your studio also influence your artistic research?
First of all, its location. My studio is in an old hayloft, so it’s in the countryside, quite isolated from the city. Then, the space is very large, which allows me to work without any particular constraints in terms of scale – and especially when it comes to painting, I can focus on large-format works. Light also plays an important role. The natural light coming from the two large side windows and the skylight creates an intimate atmosphere that makes the workspace very pleasant.
Roberto Alfano, “A matter of light”, 2025, installation view, ph. credit Fabrizio Cicconi, courtesy SPAZIOC21, Reggio Emilia
How did you work and reflect in order to create the works currently exhibited at SPAZIOC21?
The work for A Matter of Light stems from research that began in my late teens, a path I was only able to resume consistently starting in 2020. Then, from 2024 onward, thanks to SPAZIOC21, I was able to explore it more viscerally. In the works on display, I tried (and I believe successfully) to capture certain forms of light – starting from natural light (mostly sunlight, starlight, and flames), then moving into artificial interior lighting to create a suspended atmosphere. Finally, I attempted to describe an idea of inner light, alongside some impressions drawn from my curiosity about astrophysics.
Info:
Roberto Alfano, A MATTER OF LIGHT: studio sulla materia luminosa (Vol. 1)
24/04/2025 – 21/06/2025
SPAZIOC21, Via Emilia San Pietro 21, 42121, Reggio Emilia
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 1pm and 3pm – 6pm
www.spazioc21.com
www.alfanoalfano.com
Maria Vittoria Pinotti (1986, San Benedetto del Tronto) is an art historian, author, and independent critic. She currently is the coordinator of Claudio Abate’s photographic archive and Manager at Elena Bellantoni’s Studio. From 2016 to 2023 she was the Gallery Manager in a gallery in the historic center of Rome. She has worked with ministerial offices such as the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture and the Central State Archive. Currently, she collaborates with cultural sector magazines, focusing on in-depth thematic studies dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
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