An Exclusive Interview With Pietro Campagnoli

Pietro Campagnoli has Asperger P Syndrome, a form of autism that gave him a high I.Q. but bad relationship skills. At High School, he always had problems understanding his classmates' thoughts and how to relate to them.

- Paula Soito

With his sculptures, he creates casts with blankets, wet with gypsum, placing them on living bodies and waiting for them to solidify.

In these casts, he tries to reproduce the shape of the human being, like a photograph of the bodies. His works never have definite faces because his syndrome makes it impossible for him to understand people's emotions. They are always empty because the internal body has evolved and disappeared, and the "envelope" remains like a chrysalis.

Pietro's work is born by an attempt to describe his past metaphorically. The most violent experiences make us the most resilient individuals. His artworks remind him that the storm can be fought and defeated if unwavering willpower supports your mind against the lashes of sensitive experiences.

Campagnoli was born in Turin in 1994, where he lives and works. He started working as a professional in 2011 under institutional patronages of primary importance such as Regione Piemonte, Fondazione CRT Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, Compagnia di San Paolo, Opera Barolo, Dipartimento Educazione del Castello di Rivoli, Dipartimento Educazione Fondazione Merz, Fondazione Pistoletto, Centro Studi Bianca Tosatti Parma.

PAULA SOITO: Pietro, your work is absolutely stunning. The skill and vision you have is something to appreciate, for sure. Can you tell me how you came to be a sculptor and about the years leading up to your career as an artist? PIETRO

CAMPAGNOLI: I started my career at 17 with my first exhibition at the Ingenio Arte Contemporanea Gallery in Turin. The curator Tea Taramino helped me a lot by introducing me to galleries, museums, and foundations. I have always preferred self-taught research, as I think the artwork is so unique and personal that the masters or the market should not influence it. Our feelings are not a trend or something influenceable; they are only to be expressed.