Today we’d like to introduce you to Flavia D’Urso.
Flavia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I would say I have always been a creative person in some way or another. I am from the east coast and I grew up on a horse farm in the woods of New Jersey. I spent a lot of time outdoors and with animals as a child and I think that has come full circle into my art practice today, in how I think about the body and how I contextualize my own body. In college, I majored in Psychology and Studio Art and to this day that sums up my interests most succinctly. I am fascinated by people and also examining myself as I move through the world but I have found that the best way for me to question and learn about people is through my creative work. I am also Italian and travel back every year, so there is often a sense of memory, mythology, traversing bodies of water, and thinking about our own human scale in my work that I think comes from that part of my background. Living now in California, the vastness and sometimes stark nature of the landscape here has definitely added to that line of thinking for me.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I am privileged and lucky in many aspects of my life and identity, and in that sense, much of my path has been smoothed for me, in ways that it hasn’t been for others. At the same time, I am also a queer woman living in the hetero and male-dominated socio-political environment. As an artist, it is often frustrating to be in a space that is known for its progressive and inclusive thinking when in reality it is still economically driven by white men. I am glad that the representation of LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and womxn are on the rise but there is still so much progress to be made. For any female identifying folks starting out in the arts (or in any field really), leaning into the community of womxn around you is critical. Feeding into the notion of needing to compete for the few spots that appear to be currently allocated for us is self-defeating. Find those friends and mentors that support you and support them in return!
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I work in a lot of mediums. These days, I am working in video, sculpture and mixed media but my background is in painting and photography. All of my work is very much focused around the body, and I tend to bring in abstraction, animal-like forms, and different materials to point to different questions around how certain bodies take shape in our current context. For example, last year, I created sculptures using salt lick blocks that are typically used for cattle or for attracting deer for hunting. The sculptures looked like warped bones or like distorted marble sculptures in the gallery space. They were paired with videos of licking as well, the videos are very slow and mostly just a white screen, that towards the end reveals a mouth licking its way through from the inside. I have used materials like horse hair and blood meal for a similar purpose or using video to create tension between something highly organic or bodily on the screen but digitized and abstracted by use of video as the medium. Over time, I hope to be known as someone who continually experiments and creates thoughtful work. That would make me feel proud to look back on.
It would be great to hear about any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve used and would recommend to others.
Certain texts have been really important to my art practice. Jack Halberstam’s Queer Art of Failure and Sarah Ahmed’s Queer Phenomenology have been extremely influential to me. The feminist epic poem The Descent of Alette by Alice Notley is so incredible, I recommend everyone to read it a few times over. House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende will always be one of my favorite books.
I listen to many podcasts mainly to get my news or to get some comic relief. There are also some great art related podcasts like Beyond the Studio, Modern Art Notes, the Contemporary Art Review LA podcast, and Hyperallergic that have thoughtful interviews and are nice to listen to while I am working in the studio. I also love binge listening to audiobooks during my day job or when I am in the studio doing more manual labor as well. Recent favorites have been Circe and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (I love Greek mythology), and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.
All of that aside, my partner and my dog help me to be my best from day to day. I feel really lucky to have a partner that is so supportive of my work. Our dog Goccio is an adorable and hilarious rescue and he keeps us moving and outside and in nature and brings so much joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flaviadurso.com
- Instagram: fdurso
Image Credit:
all the photos were taken by me except the first one (file name “install 3) which should be credited to Shannon Christy Photography
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