Elisa Zorzi has lived in India and China and Italy (land of her birth), and those places have influenced her artistic direction. Born in Italy, near Venice, Elisa has been residing in Barbados since 2015, working for the European Union. The hobbyist, who has a full-time job as part of the European Union (EU) delegation, recently invited work colleagues and close friends to a private showing of her art pieces at her home.
Elisa said the exhibition, titled White And Black, was created for Barbados, using materials found on the island.
Her love of painting started when she was a child, and she won several competitions during that time.
“I even used my skills to decorate my room and those of my close friends.”
Elisa studied law – she is in fact, a notary legal expert – but very soon realised that experiencing new places and cultures rather than living permanently in Italy for the rest of her life was what appealed to her the most.
“From the philosophical point of view, I am passionate about Freud and Nietzsche; from the artistic level I am fond of Mondrian and Pollock. Then, there are different sources of inspiration which are inside of me, sometimes people (my son, my mother, my sister) and sometimes places (India, China and now Barbados). Then I am inspired also by natural material and elements which are important for my mixed media art.”
Elisa had never considered the possibility of turning the hobby of painting into a full-time activity but soon her life gave her the opportunity to try.
In 2004 she relocated from Italy to Brussels to work for the European Union. She kept painting and she started sharing her passion with a colleague and good friend. They had their first exhibitions in the houses of private painting collectors, both by themselves and in collaboration with other artists. Elisa’s work started being appreciated and she started selling some paintings to local collectors.
In April 2010, she left her job at the European Union and moved to India to follow her vocation and dedicate herself to her beloved art. The wonderful people, the unique atmosphere and the incredible mystery of India immediately became an infinite source of inspiration. She took some classes in Bandra (Mumbai) and in 2010 her first full-time painting workshop became a reality. She exhibited again in some exclusive luxury apartments in Andheri and Bandra and she finally got a studio where she could do all of her experimentations.
October 2012 was again time for a new destination, and Elisa moved to Hong Kong. It was a drastic and shocking change as the dissimilarity between Indian and Chinese cultures thoroughly impacted her style.
“Sometimes small things make a big difference. Houses and apartments were smaller in Hong Kong and I changed accordingly the size of my compositions to allow private collectors to have them in their houses.”
When asked how a lawyer could be so artistic, the petite blonde said: “Law is not logical. Law defines the rules of a game. Inside of the game you can play your cards. The final solution of a particular problem can be really amazing”.
In addition, she took other classes and private lessons of pure technique to improve her ability to translate her feelings, desires and visions into her abstract paintings as she eventually graduated from pastels to painting with acrylic colours. March 2015 was time to move on again. She arrived in Barbados as part of the EU delegation, with the idea to enjoy the beautiful island with her young son.
“I think Barbadians are open-minded and curious as I am. Abstract is not their ‘natural thing’, but more and more abstract art starts fascinating people who travel and visit art galleries around the world”.
When Elisa speaks about Barbados, there is always a perpetual smile. The house where she lives is absolutely gorgeous: “I am passionate about antiques and decoration; I love travelling and bringing home a variety of unique pieces of art in order to let the atmosphere prevail on the structure of the house I live in.”
Elisa is preparing for her first public exhibition in Barbados. “I already have an idea but I need a prototype and I am trying the first experiments.”
Some critics have remarked about the balance between colours and the inner elegance of her paintings – an elegance which she thinks comes from her mother, she said.
As for the materials she uses – acrylic powders and natural elements such as sand, paper, fish scales, palm tree structure, hemp, Japanese rice paper, the last of which helps her enter into the realm of the tactile through an intuitive excitement process.
“After getting to know the project idea, I develop a structure exploring colour and bringing texture and depth into my art and I try to tap into the emotions, using symbolism discovered in my travels.”
Usually Elisa does between 15 and 20 paints for each exhibition. On average she paints about 30 pieces a year, since she has a full-time day job at the EU delegation in Barbados and mainly paints after putting her son to bed.
“I start my discovery, my painting, and my intimacy with the colours. There is no noise except from the birds and frogs coming from the garden. It is so peaceful.” (WL)
