Interview by Jimon

1. Where were you born and where do you currently live and create?  I was born in Catanzaro and I live in Catanzaro. A beautiful city in the south of Italy.

2. How would you describe Claudio Parentela?I’m totally crazy. I find my freedom in all I create every day. Freedom is essential for me. I started this wonderful and adventurous work in 1995 and it’s been a fantastic magical journey ever since. Every day when I’m with my paintings, with my colors, with my music  the magic happens. Everything flows the colors on the canvases all is perfect, exact and in the right place.

3. What was your first experience with art as a kid?  I think that I have always drawn. As a child I always drew many big eyes. Strange tall and very thin beings with huge eyes. I drew absurd bloody battles between these strange beings who come from distant planets.  I loved drawing with charcoals. I have always loved black and white.

4.  Have you ever come across a piece of art that you could not or did not want to stop looking at?  All the photos of Joel-Peter Witkin. I adore his art…pure perfection.

5.  How did your collage series start? What made you do collages?  I drew and painted for 14 years only in black and white with tons of black Indian ink. I needed new materials and colors to know myself again. I like to experiment and reinvent myself again and again. To decompose and break me in my knots and then to knot them  again and again. After all this black and white the colors called me with a strong voice along with a lot of new materials. They wanted to be used for my creations. Every thing has the right time to be born. So were the colors and the collages in my life. The right time and the right mood. The wonderful gift I needed.

6.  What was the First job you ever held?  Illustrator

7.  If you had to watch one movie on repeat for eternity, what would it be?  Mamma Roma (1962-Pier Paolo Pasolini)

8.  Where/when do you get most inspired?  Always and anywhere.

9.  First thing you think/do in the morning? And Last thing at night?  I thank God for the new wonderful day he gave me and I thank God for having such a beautiful woman by my side who loves me.

10.  What is your least favorite part of the day?In the morning after I get up, because my poor back hurts me.

11.  If you weren’t an artist, what would you have liked to be?Mathematician.

12.  If you could have dinner with 3 artists living/dead who would be at your table?   Living: Yayoi Kusama , Marina Abramovi?, Ai Weiwei.

Dead: Joseph Beuys, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Andy Warhol.

13.  Name three things you can’t live without in your studio?My music, cats and cigarettes.

14.  What forth-coming projects and or exhibitions do you have scheduled?  I have two tarot card decks. Working on new t-shirts, dresses, bags. Preparing 4 new shows in the next few months and doing many interviews.

15.  Anything else you’d like to mention that I didn’t ask?Love you, thanks!!!