Connective Tissue

Environment and rituality adopt a new conceptual dimension in Elia Gasparolo’s work “Connective Tissue.”

Her artistic practice contemplates the domestic sphere, revealing its ties to the sacred. Her work is influenced by the daily, familiar activity of eating, particularly the ritual of consuming mandarins with family. In this practice, Gasparolo transforms the humble peel into a medium of artistic expression, a poignant act that encapsulates the cyclical relationship between the earth and human experience.

Through this process, she engages in a ceremony of farewell and gratitude, honoring the life cycle of the fruit and the sustenance it provides. This transformation serves not only as a creative endeavor but also as a meaningful acknowledgment of the interconnectedness between nourishment and artistic creation.

Gasparolo’s focus transcends conventional considerations of exhibition space and the dimensions of her work. Rather than conforming to predetermined formats or scales, her art unfolds within the temporal and spatial narrative of everyday life. The significance of her creations lies in their organic evolution, shaped by the familiar performance of mandarin consumption and the passage of time. The dimensions of her work are intimately tied to the duration of the exhibition, existing not merely to occupy space but to transcend it.

This artistic practice respects the vital rhythms of human existence, encapsulating the transformations that occur in nature and culture alike. Gasparolo’s work embodies the metamorphosis of the plant into fruit, the conversion of matter into energy through food, and the alchemical process of turning waste into art. Ultimately, the culmination of her practice takes form in the elemental fire, a force that redistributes energy to the universe, signifying a return to the earth.

— Mariano Sardon, curator