Biography
Maddalena’s artistic research has encompassed various fields of the visual arts, from photography, sculpture, multimedia art and performance art. Her artistic journey began in Vancouver during the mid 70’s where she worked as a photographer in the music industry and participated in group exhibitions at Vancouver's Helen Pitt Gallery and Grunt Gallery . "There was a decidedly renaissance scene in Vancouver at that time," she tells us. "In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Vancouver boasted one of the most exciting music and art scenes. The restlessness of the nihilistic punk and hardcore movements had a chance to take root through radical bands like Subhumans, DOA, Young Canadians, Modernettes, and I BrainEater. The alternative life of the city was shaken further by deviant she moved to Toronto where she worked in film and advertising, which allowed her to manage her free time in order to dedicate extended periods to the pursuit of her new passion, sculpture. She produced works in ceramic, resin, metal and crushed glass, synthesizing her artistic activity in 2 solo exhibits: "REMOVE Slowly" (1995) and "WHAT I'M NOT WEARING", (1996) in Toronto at Gallery 215. With images and works such as "Aisha the favorite wife of Mohammed " and "Talking Cock" she aroused the attention of Canadian media. She moved to Italy in 2001, devoting herself once again to photography, specializing in still life and food. She resumed her activity as a sculptor in 2006 with the opening of Studio 93 in Milan and began experimenting with glass and ceramics. Her new works center on the female figure, accenting the deep contrasts of modern femininity. Form and substance interact in a dynamic, provocative and intimate fashion in her sculpture. Her work is imbued with a refined eroticism, where symbolism goes beyond mere physicality using a language that seduces and involves the spectator through an interplay of disclosure and concealment.
