Elia Varini
Elia Varini is a visual artist whose work explores the physical and emotional effects of color. Through a hands-on and experimental approach, he investigates how chromatic vibrations can alter space and perception. With a background in graffiti and muralism, his practice moves fluidly between painting, installation, and material research, guided by intuition, curiosity, and the act of doing.
In conversation with Elia Varini during the exhibition Oltre la pietra at Castelgrande, Bellinzona.
What drives you in your practice?
What drives me is a certain curiosity, an interest in color, and lately, more and more in space and form as well, which are very basic elements. But at the core, it's really about color. I'm researching color, on its direct physical influence on the body, so my work is becoming increasingly immersive and physical, with a dimension that is, in a way, more enveloping. What drives me? This curiosity, I would say. Curiosity, the emotion I feel while doing things. I don't have a very rational approach. No, it's more like: I do it because I'm drawn to it, and I follow that direction. I'm not trying to tell any story. There are no narratives behind it, no political messages, nothing like that. I'm not at all interested in making that kind of statement (...).
Tell us about the project you exhibited at Oltre la pietra
When I saw the White Tower (Torre Bianca, Castelgrande), I told myself, “I want to do something here”. I immediately saw the red color, and I saw what I wanted to create. I imagined it at a different height, but still, I saw the work right away. And that feeling stayed. That strong curiosity to see it in real life stayed with me (...). I let myself be guided by impulses. It’s part of my whole painting research. It’s a painting, but it crosses into installation. I feel like there’s a real exploration of the interaction between color and space. That, for sure. I know I have the intention of creating spaces through color, and of altering spaces. These are things I’m already doing, and that intention, that interest, is definitely there.
Where did you start?
I didn’t go to an academy or anything like that. I always thought about it, but never actually did it. And honestly, I’m glad, because this very hands-on, practical aspect has given me so much. And even something like being a house painter – you’re working with paint, changing spaces with a bit of color. It sounds like such a banal thing, but it’s not. That kind of practical approach is something I love. I come from muralism, from graffiti, then I moved on to canvas, and now everything blends together. It’s funny because when I was doing my apprenticeship as a painter in Zurich, I had friends at ZHdK and at other art schools. So sometimes I would hang out there and continue my artistic practice on my own, while also connecting with people and scenes from that world.