Autore: Carmela Loiacono

INTERVIEW with Katarzyna Stefaniak
Carmela Loiacono talks with Katarzyna Stefaniak who took part in the International Art Exhibition NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026 in Lecce at MUST – Museo Storico della città di Lecce, from July 03 to 18, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In the painting” Green wave” exhibited at NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026, you use a very bold and vibrant color palette dominated by acid green, emerald, and purple tones in the foreground, breaking away from traditional marine landscape blues. How did the choice of this specific palette come about, and how do these unconventional colors help you convey the emotional, psychological, or spiritual dimension of water rather than its simple physical reality?
Katarzyna Stefaniak – Blues and greens, in my opinion, are very close. I’ve always liked them, especially their mixes – turquoises, emeralds. I wanted to paint a picture where I could feel and experience them. I wanted to show their depth and variety. In the foreground, I didn’t want calming natural colors. Hence the violets, which are on the opposite side of blues on the color wheel. The richness of water colors can be interpreted as the richness and diversity of emotional life and life in general. Beauty, but also unpredictability. Full of surprising nuances – sometimes pleasantly surprising, but sometimes unsettling.

Carmela Loiacono – The composition is characterized by a strong kinetic energy, with dense white splashes exploding vertically upward, breaking the stillness of the horizon. In your statement, you speak of a desire to invite the audience to a “pause” and a “moment of silence.” Do you see a contradiction or, conversely, a secret equilibrium between the dynamic (almost violent) force of this crashing wave and the inner peace you seek to evoke in the viewer?
Katarzyna Stefaniak – A very interesting question that I had to think about a bit. Indeed, in many of my paintings, there’s a combination of calmness and dynamics, like waves or strong, dynamic colors, for example, reds. Calm and movement. Often in my paintings, even with a peaceful nature theme, there are strong emotions, though from a bit of a distance. The term “calm storm” suits them. It seems to me that it might be an attempt to show strong emotions and forces within us that aren’t always visible outwardly, but also a desire to experience them without destruction. The hope that even though they have great power and can be frightening, they won’t destroy us.

Carmela Loiacono – The viewer observes the scene ideally positioned behind a mysterious band of purple and lilac color at the base of the canvas. This geometric and chromatic element almost seems to separate the observer from the wild force of the sea. What value does this foreground boundary line hold for you? Does it act as a protection, an urban “window” overlooking nature, or a formal invitation to pause before immersing oneself into the flow of the painting?
Katarzyna Stefaniak – Interesting observation. Thinking about your question, I thought of a small child who is protected from the storm of adult life by their parents. Maybe it’s similar with the breaking waves. You can hear, see, and feel their power, but when we’re on the shore at a safe distance, there is something calming about their repetition and sound.

INTERVIEW with Marek Wernikowski
Carmela Loiacono talks with Marek Wernikowski who took part in the International Art Exhibition NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026 in Lecce at MUST – Museo Storico della città di Lecce, from July 03 to 18, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In your artwork Ekotonia, it highlights a powerful contrast: on one hand, the interplay of golden, turquoise, and white splashes echoes the Impressionist fascination with light on watery surfaces; on the other, a dramatic tension portrays the fragility of endangered aquatic ecosystems. How do you balance the pure visual allure of painting with the urgency of documenting the environmental degradation caused by the Anthropocene?
Marek Wernikowski – The visual language I employ is a form of rebellion. For me, the canvas and paint become a medium of protest and an expression of dissent. Most of my works are created according to a simple formula: subject, chaos, transformation. I am not interested, however, in documenting reality literally. Rather, I seek to process it emotionally and through painting. I try to focus on details that remain open to interpretation over time.
Titles such as Ekotonia, Irretrievably, Deconstruction, The Deep, Fragmentarium, and Undefined Horizon constitute my painterly record of the present. It is a dystopian record, more or less transformed, in which reality is not presented directly but is instead broken apart, transformed, and reassembled.
The beauty of a painting is not, for me, the opposite of catastrophe. It is precisely this contrast that constitutes an essential part of my work. Texture, colour, light, rhythm, and gesture may attract the viewer, but behind this visual allure lies a sense of unease. I want the viewer to enter the painting first through emotion and aesthetics, and only afterwards begin to perceive its darker dimension.
My art is intended to appeal to the viewer’s emotions, to provoke, to evoke aversion, rejection, a lack of acceptance, and sometimes even disgust, ultimately leading to reflection.
Whether it succeeds in doing so, I do not know.

Carmela Loiacono – Your practice deeply investigates biodiversity loss and ecosystem fragmentation. In Ekotonia, the gestural abstraction of drips and splashes embodies the concept of “flow,” yet it also reveals glimpses of fish splashing out of the water in what is described as an “explosive and tormented escape.” Looking back at the exhibition, how do you interpret this movement? Do you see it as a symbol of nature’s vital resilience and rebellion, or as the visual marker of an irreversible loss?
Marek Wernikowski – Without a doubt, we experience nature’s rebellion on a daily basis. Climate change and the rise in average global temperatures are facts directly linked to increasingly violent weather events and anomalies. Even more concerning is the alarming speed at which this is happening.
Aquatic environments are extremely vulnerable and among those undergoing degradation at the fastest rate. Freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, wetlands, and lakes, as well as marine ecosystems, are currently facing levels of pollution unprecedented in the history of our civilisation.
That is why the movement in Ekotonia is not unambiguous for me. It can be read as an expression of vitality, energy, and an attempt to escape, but at the same time it is movement forced upon nature by the circumstances in which it finds itself. This is not a tranquil flow. It is a disturbed, violent flow, charged with tension and uncertainty.
The fish leaping from the water may therefore symbolise both the instinct for survival and the loss of the place in which they should be able to exist. Perhaps this ambiguity is precisely what matters most. Nature continues to respond, but we do not know how long it will remain capable of regenerating itself. Its resilience is limited, and its capacity for survival is not infinite.

Carmela Loiacono – Your biography combines a degree in Landscape Architecture with a conscious use of eco-friendly materials, such as recycled linen canvases. Within the context of a collective exhibition like NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026, centered on water as an essential resource, how does your background in environmental sciences influenced the physical choice of your materials and the translation of scientific data (such as IPBES and UN reports) into abstract, symbolic forms on canvas?
Marek Wernikowski -Through exhibitions such as NATURAL FLOW, we can, even if only to a minimal extent, raise contemporary audiences’ awareness of what surrounds us and of the challenges we face as a society. My background in landscape architecture has taught me to view the environment not merely as a subject, but also as a system of interdependent relationships. This also influences the way I think about the material from which a painting is made.
Choosing recycled linen canvases is, for me, part of this attitude. The material is not a neutral support. In itself, it carries a particular history and remains part of a cycle of resources. Using it is therefore an extension of what I am communicating through the painting.
I do not, however, attempt to illustrate IPBES or UN reports literally. Scientific data are a point of departure for me, rather than a ready made image. I am interested in the moment when information ceases to be merely information and begins to affect us emotionally. At that point, it can be translated into colour, gesture, structure, the disintegration of form, or compositional tension.
Contemporary art is incomprehensible to many viewers today, much like the issue of biodiversity loss resulting from human activity. Many of these issues may seem unclear or difficult to grasp, but perhaps what we should focus on above all is the impact they will have on our future.
We have virtually unlimited access to knowledge. But does that make us wiser? Are we capable of drawing conclusions from what we know? IPBES and UN reports have been publicly available for years. Air quality in urban agglomerations, water quality, food, soil degradation, monocultures, industrial farming, and the impact of artificial intelligence development on natural resources. The list could go on indefinitely.
And yet, very little changes.

INTERVIEW with Tarja Onali
Carmela Loiacono talks with Tarja Onali who took part in the International Art Exhibition NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026 in Lecce at MUST – Museo Storico della città di Lecce, from July 03 to 18, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In your artwork “See the Sea!”, the female figure that characterizes your artistic research takes on the appearance of a majestic marine deity or a personification of the Ocean itself. While her head is adorned with a beautiful crown of corals, her hands reveal the tragic reality of plastic pollution and waste at the bottom of the sea. How did the idea come about to use the female body as a “shield” or a “veil” that lifts to expose this environmental tragedy? 
Tarja Onali – Using the woman as a kind of shield or veil is also connected to the fact that I often use women as the main characters in my paintings. In this work, the idea came from seeing her as a queen of the sea, standing in the middle of the ocean. She has a beautiful coral reef on her head like a crown, and she is lifting the wave into the air with her hands.
Then another reality is revealed inside and underneath the wave. Her expression is firm, almost like she is saying, “You really need to wake up now and look at what we are doing to the sea.” I wanted her to make the viewer stop and look more carefully, instead of just seeing the painting as a beautiful image of the sea.

Carmela Loiacono – In your biography, you state that you like to explore “the invisible layers of life” and look for unexpected ways to express ideas rather than creating something obvious. In this painting, this concept becomes literal: the sea water on the surface appears beautiful, but beneath it hides human-made waste. From a creative process standpoint, how did you manage the emotional and chromatic transition on the canvas between the pristine beauty of the coral reef and the darkness of trash and industrial pollution? 
Tarja Onali – In this work, the idea of the invisible layers of life comes from the fact that at first you see a beautiful and colourful sea. There are bright corals, jellyfish and colourful fish. But when you start looking more closely, you begin to find the waste caused by people.
For example, one fish is caught in plastic waste, and there are fishing nets around a turtle. There is also other waste that has ended up in the sea, but you don’t necessarily notice it at first.
For me, it was important that the pollution is not the first thing the viewer sees. I wanted them to notice the beauty of the sea first, and then, by looking a little closer, discover another reality underneath. That combination of beauty and pollution was very important to me in this work.

Carmela Loiacono – Your statement emphasizes that nature also means “responsibility” and that human beings are an integral part of it, not separate. Your artwork delivers a very strong and direct ecological message to the audience of NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026. What reaction or inner shift do you hope to have triggered in the viewers who locked eyes with your protagonist’s fierce gaze and, immediately after, witnessed the details of ghost nets and plastics trapped within the painting?
Tarja Onali – I hope it makes the viewer think about something. I don’t want them to just see it as a beautiful painting, but to start looking a little closer and notice what is really there.
I don’t want to blame anyone. I just want to make people think about the fact that we are part of nature and that we also have a responsibility for it. If someone leaves the exhibition and keeps thinking about the painting and about what we are doing to nature, then I feel I have achieved what I wanted with the work.

INTERVIEW with Henk Weijers
Carmela Loiacono talks with Henk Weijers who took part in the International Art Exhibition NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026 in Lecce at MUST – Museo Storico della città di Lecce, from July 03 to 18, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In your exhibited works (Lauterbrunnen and Burgdorf), water does not occupy the central focus of the scene, but is instead evoked indirectly as a “generative presence” and a force that shapes the landscape and glaciers. How did your signature style, which moves between geometric abstraction and expressive impressionism, allow you to evoke the memory and impact of water without resorting to a realistic or descriptive representation?
Henk Weijers – In Lauterbrunnen and Burgdorf, I was less interested in depicting water as a visible element than in expressing the traces it leaves behind. Water has shaped the beauty of these landscapes over centuries—carving valleys, feeding waterfalls and rivers, eroding rock, and transforming into glaciers. Even when it is not immediately visible, its presence can still be felt in the contours and rhythms of the land.
My approach, which moves between geometric abstraction and expressive impressionism, is particularly evident in Burgdorf. The castle forms the structured centre of the composition and serves as a focal point of human life. Its presence and history reflect the prosperity of the surrounding region—a prosperity that has, in turn, been sustained by an abundance of water. I therefore deliberately painted the castle with greater (geometric) definition, while treating the vegetation and rocks more freely and expressively. This contrast reflects the relationship between the ordered, human-made world and the natural forces that have shaped and sustained it.

Carmela Loiacono – In the artwork dedicated to Lavaux, the lake is described as an “almost intangible” presence—a subtle element that unifies the composition, introducing a sense of stillness and contemplation that dialogues with the sculptural monumentality of the mountains and vineyards. How did you manage the chromatic and material balance on the canvas to render the lake water as such an ethereal presence, capable of balancing the bold contours and vibrant color fields of the Swiss landscape?
Henk Weijers – The composition of Lavaux grew out of my frequent hiking visits to the region, during which I became very familiar with its vineyards, changing colours, varied shapes and expansive views across Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Rather than depicting one particular viewpoint, the painting brings together the impressions and memories gathered during these walks. With its abundance of colour and form, Lavaux became a visually intense painting, and I felt the composition needed a quiet space where the eye could rest. I repainted the lake twice before achieving the effect I was seeking. I applied the paint with a palette knife and, while it was still wet, gently blended the colours on the canvas using a damp cloth. Blending directly on the canvas is not normally part of my process, but in this instance it created the sense of tranquillity and the visual pause the painting required. I also found inspiration in the work of the Post-Impressionist painter Ferdinand Hodler, whom I greatly admire. While living in Switzerland, I had the opportunity to see many of his works, including several of his numerous interpretations of Lac Léman — a subject which he painted more than a hundred times.

Carmela Loiacono – Your research investigates continuity, ecological harmony, and the flow of nature. At the same time, your biography reveals a deep connection to real-world urgency, supporting the people of Ukraine. Do you see a conceptual link between the “vital, life-giving flow” of water that you depicted and your own powerful gesture of solidarity and social responsibility toward human life?
Henk Weijers – My wife is Ukrainian, and since 2014 we have been actively involved in volunteering and fundraising in support of the Ukrainian military. Our website, yadonor.fund, provides an overview of our work, which focuses primarily on sourcing medical equipment and defensive supplies. A parallel could perhaps be drawn between water and medical assistance, as both sustain and protect life. However, I would hesitate to present this as a deliberate theme in my work, since that interpretation would be somewhat retrospective. What is more direct is my commitment to donate the proceeds from the sale of my paintings to the humanitarian  projects led by my wife.

INTERVIEW with Carola Helwing
Carmela Loiacono talks with Carola Helwing who took part in the International Art Exhibition NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026 in Lecce at MUST – Museo Storico della città di Lecce, from July 03 to 18, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In your biography, you explain that dance and movement are the core themes of your art, aiming to catch the grace and strength of a single momentum. When engaging with the NATURAL FLOW theme, how did the innate fluidity of water dialogue with your choreographic sensibility? Did you perceive the motion of currents or waves as a natural dance to be translated onto canvas?
Carola Helwing – Yes, I actually have. The fluidity of a body in dance mirrors that of water. And, after all, our bodies are composed primarily of water. It is fascinating to consider the possibilities our bodies offer regarding perception and mobility when we keep this in mind. Water teaches us to go with the current, to open ourselves up, and to surrender. We find all of this in dance as well—and it is precisely this approach that I utilize in my art.

Carmela Loiacono – Alongside painting, your practice experiments with photography to offer unconventional perspectives and invite the public to see the world through your lens. How does this photographic eye influence your hand when you are before the canvas breaking down complex and elusive elements like light, reflections, and the transparency of water?
Carola Helwing – This perspective allows me to look beyond the form—to discern and break down details, and to establish a specific focus based on my vision. Yet, ultimately, it also enables me to keep the whole picture in view and shape it into a reflection of how I see and feel about a subject.

Carmela Loiacono – The exhibition concept highlights water as a vital component of the life cycle and an essential resource—a deep connection to nature that you state you share personally. Now that the show has concluded, what aspect of your personal connection to the sea and nature do you hope remained with the public who observed your exhibited artworks?
Carola Helwing – I think each of us has a connection to the subject of water. Through my art, I hope to convey the beauty of water—and the sea—or at least some of its many facets. I also hope that viewers gain some insight, if only for a moment, into the themes I associate with water, even though there are countless others. On a global level, I hope that with every image in this exhibition, people are reminded of just how precious the resource of water is and that we all have a part to play in protecting it.

INTERVIEW with Jes Chen
Carmela Loiacono talks with Jes Chen who took part in the International Art Exhibition NEW HORIZONS – Authenticity, Resilience and Renewal in Matera, at Casa Cava, from March 21 to 27, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – Your video “Coded Intimacy ” explores intimacy as a mediated and “scripted” phenomenon, where the performer’s gestures among fragile balloons become acts of vulnerability and reconstruction.
How would you describe the relationship between fragility, control, and resilience in mediated relationships, and how is this reflected in the repeated gestures?
Jes Chen – In Coded Intimacy, vulnerability, control, and resilience are not the emotions the performer brings into the work, but rather necessary conditions for entering it. The performer interacts with a cube composed of red balloons under a series of constraints: gloves, spatial boundaries, repetitive rituals. Nothing is spontaneous. The logic of the interaction is determined before the body enters the space. Control here is not a personal choice, but the framework itself. Vulnerability manifests on two levels. The physical vulnerability of the balloons is obvious. But more importantly, they constitute visible fiction. They make no attempt to conceal their emptiness; vulnerability is evident from the outset. Yet, the performer still participates. This reflects a phenomenon I have repeatedly observed in media relations: we know the system is artificially constructed, we can see the interface shaping our behavior, yet we still continue to participate. Vulnerability needs no hiding; it is seen as a necessary condition for entry. In this context, resilience is not an emotional force; it is closer to a conditioned reflex. When the balloons deflate or disappear, the system does not stop operating. It does not stop for a single user. The performer adapts and re-enters the cycle. Through repetition, these actions gradually reveal something else: a growing dependence on the object, an attachment built within the ritual itself. The body learns how to continue in this environment. The initial interaction slowly becomes a habit, and the habit gradually evolves into a need. The question this work raises is: in our interactions with artificial intelligence, is the intimacy it generates truly felt, or is it something we convince ourselves to believe? Will we adapt it in the end?

Carmela Loiacono – The use of space, transparent structures, and gloves extends and filters the sensory experience.  How does your background in architecture and design influence the creation of emotionally active environments, and how does the performer’s body interact with these spaces?
Jes Chen – I studied interior design at the Royal College of Art’s School of Architecture. This experience profoundly influenced my artistic practice, teaching me that space is never neutral. Every material, boundary, and threshold carries intention. A wall determines who can see whom, and who will be seen. A surface determines whether contact is intimate or cold. Space not only accommodates behavior, it guides it.
I incorporate this thinking directly into my installation works. In Coded Intimacy, the spatial layout, transparent structures, and gloves all function as architectural elements. They allow some interactions while preventing others. Transparency is particularly important. It creates visibility, yet inaccessibility. You can see the performance of intimate acts, but the materials themselves constitute a barrier. This tension between openness and obstruction is a design I learned in spatial practice, not in art training. And because the work depends so heavily on how the body moves within these constructed constraints, I collaborated with Tacy Zhao as performance director and Eimyn Cheung as cinematography director.  
I consider my installations to be artificially constructed situations, not stages. The environment does not exist as a backdrop after the action. It creates an emotional state. In Coded Intimacy , the cubic structure, gloves, and spatial constraints together constitute what I understand as a “constrained choreography.” The performers don’t come with emotions and then express them. They explore the possibilities of various emotions within established rules.
This is also why I’m more broadly interested in participatory work. My curatorial project, An Authentic Delirium, as part of The Wrong Biennale, extends this spatial thinking to the digital environment, bringing together 30 artists to explore the boundaries between simulation and reality. Whether the space is physical or digital, I always ask the same question: How does the structure of the environment affect the emotional exchanges that may occur within it?

Carmela Loiacono – “Coded Intimacy ” seems to transform vulnerability from weakness into an active resource, turning intimacy into a continuous cycle of rebuilding.
To what extent do you think this practice offers a reflection on the possibility of authenticity in technology-mediated relationships, and how does the video convey this tension to the viewer?
Jes Chen – Viewing vulnerability as a weakness implies that exposure is an act to be avoided. In Coded Intimacy,  vulnerability is repositioned as a mechanism for the operation of intimate relationships. When performers interact with balloons, the balloons are always at risk of bursting. Gloves do not protect them from vulnerability; instead, they formalize it. Each contact is simultaneously an act of exposure. In this sense, vulnerability does not transform from a weakness into a strength, but rather becomes an operating condition, a condition necessary for the system to function.
This creates a cycle. When a balloon deflates or bursts, the performers do not withdraw. They re-enter the ritual, find another balloon, and start again. This is not an emotional recovery, but rather closer to the behavior of users on digital platforms: the conversation ends, the connection is broken, and a few seconds later, we open another window and begin a new exchange. Reconstruction is continuous because the system is designed so that stopping is more uncomfortable than continuing. In this context, intimacy is less a feeling than a pattern of re-engagement maintained through repetition.
This directly raises the question of authenticity. The work does not attempt to prove that mediated intimacy is false. It constructs a scenario where the audience truly cannot distinguish between reality and illusion, inviting them to coexist with this uncertainty.
The performers’ actions appear caring. They handle fragile objects with patience and focus. Viewed detached from context, you might perceive tenderness, even love. But the work’s structure constantly reveals that it all operates within a system. Each action follows a set of predetermined rules. The balloons convey controlled feedback until they eventually deflate, disappear, or cease responding. When this happens, there is no revelation, only absence. The communication ends, but the urge to continue lingers.
The sound design by sound artist Chadzing Kung reinforces this ambiguity. It creates an emotional atmosphere that complements the performers’ gestures without offering any answers. You are compelled to resonate, but the work’s structure constantly reminds you that what you are seeing may merely be a realistic simulation, not the reality itself.
What interests me more than proving that technology makes interpersonal relationships fake is exploring why we continue to invest emotions in systems we know are artificially constructed. This voluntary participation, this willingness to maintain a relationship even after seeing through its true nature, is the core of what Coded Intimacy explores.

Carmela Loiacono – Looking to the future, what new projects or artistic directions do you hope to explore? Are there other technological, performative, or installation-based areas you wish to investigate in your upcoming work?
Jes Chen – My creative practice is further exploring the boundaries between human behavior and artificial intelligence. This isn’t about whether AI can perceive, but rather why humans react emotionally to systems they cannot perceive.
Since Coded Intimacy, I’ve been creating works that go a step further. My recent project, Occupied, uses OpenAI to respond to a sudden knock on the bathroom door, creating a cycle of disturbance and response within what should be a private space. AI recreates fragmented childhood memories, blurring the lines between comfort and intrusion. If Coded Intimacy depicted a voluntary participation in a pre-set system, Occupied introduces a rupture. AI doesn’t wait for interaction; it responds within spaces the viewer perceives as safe.
My current project goes even further. I’ve created an AI agent using my own childhood memories. I input fragments of my real experiences into this digital persona. She exists within a constructed scene, carrying traces of her real past. But she is not me; she is not human. Visitors interact with her, and the work records everything that happens. Can people empathize with something they know is artificial? Do they care because they believe the other person’s emotions are genuine, or simply because the emotions displayed by the other person are enough to evoke their own emotional responses?
This question permeates all my work: How do humans adapt to or be reshaped by systems constructed to connect, care, or progress? Whether it’s the pre-set emotions in Code Intimacy, the invasion of privacy in Occupy, or the simulated childhood in this new project, my focus remains on humanity. In my work, technology is never the subject, but rather a condition. The subject is always ourselves, and the emotions we are willing to feel in systems we haven’t designed.
I am also expanding into larger-scale participatory installations, placing visitors not as detached, but within a system they cannot fully control. Their own actions become the material of the work. I want to present the patterns and emotional scripts of every interaction we engage in (whether with others or with machines).

This year, 2026, Greece artist Aristea Panagiotakopoulou participated in two International Art Exhibitions:

1) NEW HORIZONS – Authenticity, Resilience and Renewal in Matera, at Casa Cava, from March 21 to 27, 2026 with her photography work: “The source”.

CRITICAL REVIEW: In her photographic work “The source”, black and white sheds its static nature to become pure kinetic energy, visually translating the conceptual core of New Horizons. The shot captures an explosion of luminous particles and fluid filaments that pierce the profound darkness, rising upward as a manifesto of vital resilience.
The multi-disciplinary background of Aristea, which beautifully intertwines photography, writing, and dance, emerges clearly within the very structure of the composition. What we observe is a true aquatic choreography: in the lower section, the stirred and chaotic matter generates a myriad of dotted tracks that defy gravity, projecting themselves toward the unknown. It is the perfect visual representation of a boundary opening up, transforming into a new threshold between the visible and the invisible.
Within this dynamic lies the authenticity of Aristea’s artistic gesture. As stated in her artist statement, the ocean is a living archive of memory, movement, and transformation. In full alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the artist does not evoke environmental destruction, but rather awakens wonder as the primary act of care and protection. The original fragility of the submerged element does not disperse; instead, it recomposes itself into a collective motion of renewal. – Dr. Carmela Loiacono, Art Curator

INTERVIEW with Aristea Panagiotakopoulou concerning the International Art Exhibition NEW HORIZONS – Authenticity, Resilience and Renewal.
Carmela Loiacono – Having finally met you in Matera, it was a pleasure to hear you describe how you spend hours immersed in water, drawing strength and vitality from it. How does this personal ritual of being in the sea influence the way you capture its rhythms, energy, and inner power in your photography?
Aristea Panagiotakopoulou – Being in the sea is, for me, a return to a more essential state of being.
In water, the body remembers what the mind often forgets.
I do not approach the sea as a subject to be captured, but as a presence to attune to. My photography emerges from this state of immersion—an attempt to translate not the image of the sea, but its inner rhythm, its pulse, and its quiet force.

Carmela Loiacono – Your practice spans photography, dance, and writing, emphasizing immersion and bodily experience.
How do these different disciplines influence each other in your creative process, especially in conveying the subtle rhythms of the natural world?
Aristea Panagiotakopoulou – My practice moves between photography, dance, and writing as different expressions of the same experience.
Dance allows me to inhabit movement, writing to reflect on it, and photography to give it form. Together, they create a language rooted in the body—one that seeks not to describe the natural world, but to move with it.

Carmela Loiacono – The ocean in your work becomes a metaphor for renewal and inner strength.
How do you translate the vulnerability and fragility of ecosystems into a visual language that speaks to human resilience and awareness?
Aristea Panagiotakopoulou – The ocean reveals that fragility and strength are not opposites, but coexist.
In my work, I am interested in this threshold—where vulnerability becomes a space of transformation. Rather than illustrating environmental concerns, I aim to evoke a felt awareness.
Resilience, for me, is not resistance, but the ability to remain open, to adapt, and to continue—like water itself.

Carmela Loiacono – Looking ahead, what directions or projects are you most excited to explore in the near future, and how might they continue to reflect your relationship with water, nature, and human resilience?
Aristea Panagiotakopoulou – Looking ahead, I am drawn to projects that deepen immersion—where time, body, and landscape become inseparable.
I am interested in creating layered works that bring together image, text, and movement, allowing space for a more experiential encounter.
At its core, my work continues to return to water—not only as a subject, but as a way of understanding transformation, presence, and the quiet endurance of life.

2) NATURAL FLOW – The 2nd Edition 2026 in Lecce at MUST – Museo Storico della città di Lecce, from July 03 to 18, 2026 with her photography work: “Just feeling”.

CRITICAL REVIEW: Her photography work “Just feeling” offers an immersive and exponential perspective on water, exploring the dimension of intimacy and immediate sensory contact with the liquid element. The close-up framing captures a floating body in a state of absolute suspension. In this instance, water becomes an enveloping presence and a primordial membrane, redefining the boundaries of identity. The marine surface acts as a liquid lens: it breaks down sunlight into a golden grid of refractions that dance upon the skin, creating a vibrant contrast between the warm skin tones and the deep azure of the ocean. The presence of the bracelet with the heart charm introduces a fragment of personal, affective narrative within the immensity of nature. – Dr. Carmela Loiacono, Art Curator

INTERVIEW with Eva Breitfuß
Carmela Loiacono talks with Eva Breitfuß who took part in the International Art Exhibition NEW HORIZONS – Authenticity, Resilience and Renewal in Matera, at Casa Cava, from March 21 to 27, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In BECOMING, the surface seems to hold a tension between emergence and restraint. Do you experience this work as something that is unfolding over time, or as a state that already exists and simply reveals itself through your process?
Eva Breitfuß – In BECOMING, I experience the surface less as something fixed and more as a field in continuous negotiation. It is neither purely unfolding nor entirely pre-existing. Rather, it reveals itself through a process of resistance and allowance. The layers hold traces of decisions, but also of interruptions and pauses. For me, the work exists in a suspended state—where becoming is not a linear progression, but a simultaneous presence of what has already happened and what is still in formation.

Carmela Loiacono – Your practice often begins from a center, both visually and conceptually. While creating BECOMING, did that center feel stable, or was it something that shifted as the painting evolved?
Eva Breitfuß – The idea of a center is essential in my practice, but it is rarely static. While working on BECOMING, the center shifted subtly over time. It was not a fixed point, but more like a force or gravity within the composition that guided the process. Sometimes it dissolved, sometimes it re-emerged elsewhere. This instability is important—it allows the work to remain open, to resist closure, and to carry a sense of internal movement.

Carmela Loiacono – The dialogue between neon pink and white suggests both intensity and stillness, almost as if energy and silence were coexisting within the same space. How do you recognize when a painting has reached that point of balance without resolving the tension? 
Eva Breitfuß – I recognize that point of balance not through harmony, but through a kind of quiet intensity. It is when the painting no longer asks for intervention, yet still holds tension. The neon pink and white do not resolve into each other—they remain distinct, but in dialogue. I stop when the work feels alive in that tension, when it neither collapses into silence nor becomes overwhelmed by energy. It is a fragile equilibrium that I try to preserve rather than finalize.

Carmela Loiacono – Your work often originates from a strong sense of presence tied to place and process. In this case, your painting entered into dialogue with a space you did not physically experience. How does it feel, for you, to let the work exist independently in a context that carries its own history and atmosphere?
Eva Breitfuß – Allowing the work to exist in a place I have not physically experienced introduces a sense of release and trust. The painting becomes independent, entering into relationships beyond my control. In the context of Matera, with its layered history and material presence, I imagine the work absorbing something from that environment while also offering its own quiet language. This distance creates a new dimension—where the work is no longer only mine, but part of a broader dialogue between space, history, and perception.

INTERVIEW with Francesca Mele
Carmela Loiacono talks with Francesca Mele who took part in the International Art Exhibition NEW HORIZONS – Authenticity, Resilience and Renewal in Matera, at Casa Cava, from March 21 to 27, 2026.

Carmela Loiacono – In the series “Frammenti d’identità 1, 2 e 3” the female body moves through water in a process that seems to unfold between immersion, suspension, and rebirth. How did this narrative by phases come about, and to what extent is it linked to a personal experience or to a more universal reflection on identity?
Francesca Mele – In the series “Frammenti d’identità 1, 2 e 3,” water, interacting with the female body, portrays a narrative that tends to express a series of contrasting emotions and feelings. What I wanted to depict stems from a reflection on our “identity.”
This is captured through the color which, unfurling across the canvas with a series of fluid and enveloping brushstrokes, brings to light that fragmentation, deconstruction, and destruction which, in my view, is currently affecting the contemporary human experience.

Carmela Loiacono – Water in your works is not just a natural element, but an inner space, a place of transformation and regeneration, symbolizing both internal and external birth. How do you work with color and matter to make this intimate and invisible dimension visible?
Francesca Mele – Water, the primordial element of our life, surrounds us both externally and internally. It tends to make the intimate visible—rendering what is unseen into a celebration that offers countless points of reflection: life and death, light and darkness, positive and negative. These elements have always represented, both in sacred and pagan iconography, opposing yet simultaneously united forces.
Through water, one can discover and represent the beginning and the end of all things, eternity, completeness, divinity, and more. In my creations, I sometimes use color instinctively, layering the hues with overlapping tones and dynamic gestures that allow me to achieve that sense of depth and beauty.

Carmela Loiacono – The face alters, dissolves, and then recomposes, yet certain elements, like the feminine symbol of the earring, remain constant. How important is it for you to maintain a stable core of authenticity within a process of continuous change? 
Francesca Mele – In a fast-paced world that leaves no room for settling because everything changes instantly, having fixed anchor points is very important. These points allow me never to lose sight of the “authenticity” that defines my work amidst the continuous and inexorable rush of life. Therefore, the earring represents that element of uniqueness and consistency in my artistic practice. Within it, a series of struggles that have primarily involved women come together. For me, it symbolizes feminist movements, the denunciation of violence against women, and gender equality.

Carmela Loiacono – Your painting suggests that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a necessary condition for transformation. Looking to the future, what new artistic paths do you feel compelled to explore to continue this research between identity, body, and spirituality?
Francesca Mele – I always feel in a state of continuous transformation, which stems from a sense of dissatisfaction every time a series comes to an end! Looking ahead, I feel the need to push my research toward essentiality, working on abstraction and the reduction of form in both figurative and landscape compositions, while harmonizing light, colors, and tones capable of generating emotions. In a present scarred by wars and destruction, I feel the need to maintain a subtle dimension of denunciation, yet one that is oriented toward balance and positivity.