What pushed you to approach art and to become an artist? (events, feelings, experiences...)
During Lock-Down, I felt the need to find an outlet and as this creativity had been dormant within me for some time, I was given the chance to express myself.
What is your artistic background, the techniques and subjects you have experimented with so far?
I have always been a collector of contemporary art and toys and this opportunity allowed me to combine these two worlds. To date, I mainly make sculptures in epoxy resin, but also canvas, dibond+acrylic and many other things.
What are the three aspects that differentiate you from other artists and make your work unique?
I am a chemical engineer who worked as a cocoa broker for 20 years and can finally express my creativity. I think the combination of these three aspects can characterize something special. 
Where does your inspiration come from?
I am very curious, I observe a lot and I think a lot. In my work, I have always had to find "solutions" to the problems of my clients and the fact of being able to seek "artistic solutions" to the world around me fascinates and stimulates me.
What is the intention of your art? What visions, sensations or feelings do you want to evoke in the viewer?
Like many people, I have been in love with bricks since childhood and noticed that they are one of the few immortal toys. I also wanted to try and make many other toys from the 70s and 80s immortal by including them in this form. I would like to trigger memories and lightness in my peers and curiosity in new generations. The ultimate goal is to give additional tools for both generations to interact and play with art using it as a bridge to express positive feelings.
What is the process of creating your works? Spontaneous or with a long preparatory process (technical, inspiration from art classics or other)?
I am strongly inspired by the classics but also by more contemporary art. Today we are immersed in social media and are therefore constantly challenged and inspired. The joy I feel creating is really the combination of all these influences. I like to combine the classic with the world of contemporary art toys.
What techniques do you prefer? If yes, can you explain?
I mainly use a two-component epoxy resin. As I mentioned, I'm a chemical engineer and I'm happy to combine artistic inspiration with a love of chemistry.
Does your work have any innovative aspects? Can you tell us which ones?
I certainly wasn't the first to include resin or plexiglass objects and, in fact, I was also inspired a lot by Arman, but I think I was the first to want to make certain games immortal by including them under this shape. I also placed some classics (like Guernica, Starry Night, and the Birth of Venus) inside these sculptures, then recreated the painting as if you were looking at it through little man-shaped keyholes. The intention is to look at the great classics through the eyes of a child.
Do you have a format or medium that you feel most comfortable with? If yes, why ?
I would say resin sculptures are my forte. As I said before, it's thanks to the combination of creativity and a love of chemistry.
Where do you produce your work? At home, in a shared or private studio? And in this space, how is your production organised?
I created at home precisely because lockdown allowed and compelled me to, but I will soon be opening my own studio.
Does your work lead you to travel to meet new collectors, for exhibitions or fairs? If so, what do you get out of it?
As a cocoa broker, I have always traveled a lot, mainly in Europe but also in the countries where cocoa was born. During my travels in Europe, I can finally combine the two and visit not only my cocoa seedling suppliers, but also the art galleries I work with. I just spent five days, a fortnight ago, traveling to the Netherlands for this reason.
How do you imagine the evolution of your work and your figure as an artist in the future?
I do not know. For the moment, I derive a lot of satisfaction and joy from this experience. I like to stimulate positive thoughts in people and I like collaborating with other artists. I hope it will never end.
What is the theme, style or technique of your latest artistic production?
I created a Maxi alter ego (you can see it in the attached photo) which is 170cm tall and made of fiberglass. It allows me to pursue these "inclusions" on a large scale. I have already planned a dozen collaborations with different European artists.
Can you tell us about your most important exhibition experience?
I hope that the most important is always the next one. To date, I have already participated in many exhibitions and each of them has left me with an indelible memory.
You can find them all here: https://www.alepiano.com/exhibitions/
If you could have created a famous work in the history of art, which one would you have chosen? And why would you choose it?
Please don't make me choose. I would have liked to have witnessed the creation of all these works. It would have taken forever but it would have been a super fulfilling life.
If you could invite one famous artist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be? How do you suggest they spend the evening?
I would invite Andy Warhol, Arman and Takashi Murakami and, after a good dinner, I would offer them a game of a box game (like Monopoly or Risk). I need to invite more people because I like dinners with a lot of people and then because we can't play Risk together 😁.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
