How did you come to exhibit at Goldsmiths’ Fair?
I studied jewellery and silversmithing at the Glasgow School of Art, where several of my professors had exhibited at Goldsmiths' Fair. That was the first time I’d seen metalwork of such quality and, when I graduated, I applied to take part but I wasn’t accepted.
The fair felt very different from the art spaces I’d previously occupied and I thought my work might be too avant-garde for it, as it challenges the perceptions of metals and the histories of noble metals. More recently, though, it feels that the fair is opening up to a different generation of makers and a wider scope of collectors. I was encouraged to apply this year, and I got in, and I’m really excited to be exhibiting about five pieces.
How do you feel about exhibiting in a space that’s so different from what you’re used to?
It’s challenging, but also exciting because I feel I can bring something different to the fair. I’m interested in planting seeds of thought in new spaces, and I’ve always used my work to ask questions that help people change how they look at things. I’m Italian-English and grew up between two very different cultures, so I’m conscious that perceptions are dependent on your norms and environment.
In the UK, art and craft are so compartmentalised – in many other places, Japan for example, they’re defined by the same word. For me it's about finding the truth through the work, no matter what the medium.