Davide Trabucco
‘My one and only dream is to be able to keep on walking’. Those are the illuminating words of the artist Davide Trabucco. From the Instagram profile ‘confórmi’ to the contents realized for the creative realities ‘Osservatorio’ and ‘Fondazione Prada’, Davide takes us on a journey to discover his artistic production…
First things first, how would you describe your artistic production?
My research reflects my own personality. My insecurity often turns into a non-stop mass production, because I always reply to the questions at the origins of my artworks with a multitude of answers. I hardly create and produce one-of-a-kind pieces and, when it happens, I feel ‘scared’.
I think Bologna is a very ‘strict’ city, that unveils its qualities and hidden treasures carefully. You mostly learn how to look at Bologna through the surrounding world. The more I grow up, the more I find out how being Emilian is a resource and, in a way, a sweet condemnation too. The pictures of Ghirri and the words of Tondelli helped me to realize it.
Let’s take a step back. How did you develop your creative instincts?
I think the turning point has been my entrance, as a scholarship holder, to Bologna’s Fondazione Collegio Artistico Venturoli, a hundred-year-old reality that helps and supports young artists. Establishing a dialogue with the other scholarship holders has helped me to find my path.
That being said, how would you define the contemporary, artistic scene?
Every time has its on way of telling about itself. That being said, there’s a great difficulty in making quality emerge. After all, we live in a society where ‘simple’ views are monetized and those views have no critical value compared to the content of the object.
‘confórmi’, one of your Instagram profiles, has more than 530 posts and 30,000 followers. What’s the importance of social networks in your art practice?
Social networks are an excellent tool to get in touch with different professionals. Many projects were born thanks to people who had gotten to know each other through these channels. With a like, you can instantly bypass press and administrative offices, and I think that’s the most surprising aspect. From the point of view of the artistic creation, the project confórmi has the social media platforms in its DNA as it was born to be spread through those communication channels.
You were born and raised in Bologna, where you still live. What can we find of your hometown in your artworks?
The rigour. I think Bologna is a very ‘strict’ city, that unveils its qualities and hidden treasures carefully. You mostly learn how to look at Bologna through the surrounding world. The more I grow up, the more I find out how being Emilian is a resource and, in a way, a sweet condemnation too. The pictures of Ghirri and the words of Tondelli helped me to realize it.
What’s the project, or solo exhibition, you remember with love and tenderness?
Among them all, a wallpaper ideated for the private house of a couple of collectors. Entering someone else’s house is always a difficult task, that has to be carried out carefully.
You worked for ‘Osservatorio’ and ‘Fondazione Prada’, realizing a series of contents intended for their social platforms. Would you tell us about this project?
The project comes from the need of Fondazione Prada to take a new form for its social media content, opening itself to artistic collaborations. I decided to use the same image association system I first used for confórmi, looking for a new graphic solution, created for their communication channels.
What’s an unfinished project you’d like to dedicate your time and attention to?
A work on the iconography of Giuseppe Garibaldi, that’s on the table of my studio and I never find time for it. That said, I’ve learned that letting things settle is part of the process.
What do you always pack?
A poetry book, my iPod classic, a notebook and a couple of shirts.
And what’s the garment you’re most attached to?
A Paul Smith shirt.
Have you ever thought about realizing a capsule collection with your artworks?
Fashion has a undisputed allure. It’s a world that involves a large number of professionals in a perfect way. If I had to realize a collection, I wouldn’t want to simply transfer the images of confórmi on a T-shirt, because changing the support wouldn’t make any sense to me. On the contrary, I’d try to bring my own view to the creative process behind a garment.
A wish for the future?
Wishes are always on the horizon of the point where we find ourselves on paper. So, my one and only dream is to be able to keep on walking.
A piece of advice for young artists who are in search for their stylistic hallmark?
Do a lot of research and find your own language. Quality won’t go away with time, it will grow more and more. Things are never instant or immediate, they take time. You can’t ask a fruit to ripen in advance.
Every time has its on way of telling about itself. That being said, there’s a great difficulty in making quality emerge. After all, we live in a society where ‘simple’ views are monetized and those views have no critical value compared to the content of the object.
Credits
Davide Trabucco, Versus, Unfolding Pavilion, Venezia, 2016
Davide Trabucco, All Tomorrow's Pantheon, per WAR – Warehouse of Architecture and Research, Roma, 2018
Davide Trabucco, Archetipi, CHEAP Festival, Bologna, 2015
Davide Trabucco, Stilopòdi, Fondazione Collegio Artistico Venturoli | Bologna, 2017