Loom Gallery

Piazza Luigi di Savoia, 24, 20124 Milan

MON CLOSED
TUE - SAT 2 P.M. / 7 P.M.
SUN 3 P.M. / 6 P.M.

ARTISTS:
Ignacio Uriarte
Irma Blank (Collezione Ramo)

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Ignacio Uriarte answers questions from
Irina Zucca Alessandrelli, curator of the Ramo Collection

Give a definition of what drawing is for you.

For me, drawing is a medium that allows absolute immediacy. An idea can be transferred directly from brain to paper through language, drawing, mathematics, painting, in collage, etc. In many other mediums of expression, such as a film, one must first plan, coordinate a group of people, apply for funding, convince a producer, etc. It may become a very long process, from the initial idea to the final work, and you may have to compromise from the original thought. Not so with drawing: it is a free, light and direct medium, without interference.

Some people consider it too weak a means of reflection in the final result. I disagree with that. I think Hanne Darboven, Matt Mullican and many others have taught us how it is possible to turn small drawings into complex compositions, visual poems, monumental walls, sequences, narratives, etc.

What is your relationship with drawing? And with the history of Italian art of the last century?

I use my personal experience as an office worker (before I became an artist) as rudimentary material for my art practice. I draw from typical gestures in a work environment, such as underlining a word, doodling during a phone call or folding a sheet of paper, to transform them into an artistic language. This is why it was natural, almost logical, for me to start work with paper, using a pen, marker, pencil, eraser, ruler, typewriter, stamp - I have always been used to working with all these tools in a non-art context. There is a strong and direct, almost symbolic connection between the tools and the gestures I use in everyday life, the same ones that allow the viewer to recreate the experience in their mind and identify with them.

I know little about the drawing of Italian artists of the last century, so I would like to continue studying.

Why did you choose this work from Collezione Ramo?

Irma Blank is an artist I discovered about ten years ago and was amazed by the beauty, simplicity and perfection of her work. It is a coincidence that some of my work is similar to her work and use of technique. She also makes doodles, draws straight lines, writes in nonexistent handwriting... And I made the same operations long after her. So I have this ambiguous feeling: on the one hand I feel a strong connection with her idea and research; on the other hand I am afraid that someone might think I copied her work and I try to do what I can to avoid this similarity. It is a combination of admiration and reluctance in a way. Choosing this work for the exhibition is a way of offering a tribute to his wonderful work.