THE COMEL AWARD FINALISTS

Simona Mastropietro

Sesto San Giovanni (MI), Italy
simonamastropietro03@gmail.com

THE COMEL AWARD FINALISTS

Simona Mastropietro

Sesto San Giovanni (MI), Italy
simonamastropietro03@gmail.com
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Simona Mastropietro, born in Sesto San Giovanni in 2003, graduated in Graphics and Communication in 2022 and studies Art Graphics at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. Her work explores memory, perception, and the art of visual storytelling. She has exhibited in shows and festivals across Milan, Viggiù, and Ziano Piacentino, participated in international competitions such as Metropoli di Torino, and had her illustrations published in Turbine Magazine. Her art translates everyday experiences and reflections on contemporary life into evocative images.

ARTWORK IN CONTEST

GESTURE II, 2025

PAINTING - Direct engraving with paint and acid on aluminum plate
47 x 66 x 0,5 cm

Through an inspired reversal of perspective, what was the base of a printmaking work becomes an aesthetic projection of a visual language rich in perceptual echoes and psychological reflections in this work by Simona Mastropietro. The result is a plastic, surprising abstract score, where the visionary element accompanies the technical one with a suggestive, fluid, and intuitive spiritual tension.

AWARDS

SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY OF THE COMEL AWARD 2025

with the following motivation:

“For the original, sensitive, and intuitive reuse of an aluminium matrix, transformed through a unique metamorphosis of material and form into an abstract and informal journey.”

Interview by Ilaria Ferri

“My work arises from the need to release energy through a form of gestural writing, combining the dynamism, chaos, and urban noise with the colors and luminosity of nature.”

With Gesture II you received the Special Mention from the jury of the 12th edition of the Comel Award. What did it mean for you to be selected among the 13 finalists and then see your work recognized with this prize?

Receiving the Special Mention was a great source of satisfaction for me. Being selected among such a large number of applicants made me feel seen and, above all, confirmed that I am moving in the right direction. This recognition encouraged me to believe more deeply in my potential and in the path I am building, giving it even greater value and awareness.

Your work, part of a broader series, stems from the encounter between two different modes: the ancient chalcographic techniques and a distinctly modern gestural painting. This combination gives life to a sort of “engraving 2.0,” a modern and informal reinterpretation of a centuries-old technique. How did the idea of working with this process come about, and why did you choose aluminium as your matrix?

The idea of working in this way emerged at the beginning of my studies at the Academy, when I started exploring printmaking and met my professor, Giorgio Frassi, whom I deeply admire. Through his teaching, I discovered the work of Pierre Soulages, who uses the plate not as a simple surface on which to engrave marks, but as an active element in which the plate itself becomes the mark. This approach enabled me to view intaglio from a different perspective and to appreciate its numerous expressive possibilities.
I asked myself why one should use the plate as a sheet on which to draw and then transfer the image onto another support, when instead the plate can be conceived directly as a mark, as a gesture, which will then be printed. I chose aluminium because it is a very versatile material and, in my way of working, it allows me to witness the consumption of matter in real time. I am interested in seeing the aluminium react to the acid, dissolve, transform, and have direct, physical control over the entire process. The speed at which this happens is also fundamental to me, because it reflects the immediate nature of my work.

Gesture II, 2025 (detail)

Untitled, 2024, aluminum matrix (left) and 2-color intaglio printing (right)

The prints derived from the aluminium plates, created both on paper and on other supports, are characterized by an intense use of color and evoke the world of graffiti and a form of ancestral writing. You state: “My work arises from the need to release energy through a form of gestural writing, combining the dynamism, chaos, and urban noise with the colors and luminosity of nature.” How does this energy concretely translate into your working process, and what relationship do you seek between mark, gesture, and surface?

My working process stems primarily from my emotional state and from what I experience during a given period. Sensations, tensions, and daily experiences are absorbed and then released through the work, which becomes a kind of personal outlet. Using a gestural, instinctive, and at times violent mode allows me to discharge this energy: it is as if, through the gesture, I were able to lift a weight off myself and process what I have lived, moving beyond it.
My works are therefore the direct result of my everyday experience. I live in a city and, as I walk, I am constantly surrounded by streets filled with noise, horns, signs, writings, and graffiti. This urban imagery naturally enters my work. Graffiti, in particular, represent for me an extremely liberating form, because they allow one to intervene on large surfaces and involve the body in a total way. It is a dimension I find in my own way of working, both on canvas and, as in this case, on aluminium, where the gesture becomes central.

Untitled, 2024, acrylic spray and woodcut on sheet

Untitled, 2025, acrylic spray and woodcut on sheet

You are currently studying Printmaking at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. What first drew you to art, and which artists or movements have most influenced your training?

My connection to art is something I feel I have carried within me since childhood. I have always drawn at any moment of the day, and I grew up in an environment that greatly encouraged my creativity and manual skills: when I came home from school, I would do creative projects with my aunt—activities that were fun and stimulating for a child. I also always had a strong desire to help my father with any manual task, whether it was cutting wood, painting, fixing things… This immediately nurtured my interest in making, in working directly with my hands and with materials. Throughout my training, I have been influenced by artists such as Pierre Soulages, mentioned earlier; Sigmar Polke, for his freedom in contaminating techniques and materials; Julie Mehretu, for the complex layering and dynamism of her compositions; Robert Rauschenberg; Albert Oehlen; Katharina Grosse. Among more recent artists, I find the Brinanovara duo particularly interesting.

What does art represent for you? Is it primarily a means of personal expression or a tool to explore and interpret what surrounds you? Is it a language that connects you to the outside world or one that allows you to say more than you could with words?

For me, art represents a kind of vision, a way of looking at things from another perspective. It is both a means of personal expression and a tool to explore and interpret what surrounds me, because through my personal expression I am able to give form to what I live and perceive. I choose this language because I could not express myself in the same way through words, nor would I feel equally fulfilled. Art becomes for me a space of freedom and deep communication. I am happy when those who look at my works can recognize themselves in the energy they convey and, in some way, feel free in turn. For me, this exchange—even a silent one—is an important part of the meaning of making art.

Untitled, 2025, acrylic spray and woodcut on sheet

Although your artistic journey is still at an early stage, your work already shows a recognizable research direction and a personal language. Which themes and techniques do you feel you want to explore further in the coming years?

In the coming years, I feel the need to delve deeper into the concept of boundary in my work, both spatially and physically. I am interested in experimenting with how the limits of the canvas can be exceeded, incorporating objects from the external world or extending my work beyond conventional edges, allowing it to interact directly with the surrounding space. I want my works not to be confined within a delimited space, but to have the possibility of “breaking out.”

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