Massimo Spadari grew up in the Italian North-Eastern countryside, where as a child he loved to watch animals, bugs, and all forms of life. Today, the nature he witnessed throughout his childhood continues to play a big role in his life, influencing his work as a printmaker.
In 2014, he left his home to attend the Academy of fine arts of Venice, where he would go on to achieve a new language of expression. Here, he was able to discover himself and become totally aware of the power of the image to convey a message. At the academy, Massimo was able to dive into a pool of traditional printing techniques such as lithography, relief print, calcography, and screen printing. Living the collective lab life made provided the opportunity for Massimo to incorporate interaction and cooperation within his personal artistic research, with ‘Interaction’ becoming key to his practice as a printmaker.
Soon after, he became an assistant of the etching professor, and for the last two years has worked at the academy helping and teaching techniques to other students.
Metal intaglio, stone lithography, and wood relief prints, have become Massimo’s closest print friends, as they provide a slow respectful treatment to the drawing ritual. With these slow techniques, he is able to depict melancholic, yet cold landscapes, that are a reaction at the mutation of nature by humankind.
His inspiration comes from different feelings, timely and spatially caged on paper. The primary purpose of Massimo’s images is to express feelings by linking himself to the observer, trying to catch the common melancholy of everyone’s feelings.
During his years at the academy, Massimo has also developed other traditional printmaking techniques, including aquatint and burin direct engraving. His most used mediums are zinc and MDF plates for intaglio, and he relief prints on thick Italian Pescia paper. He is currently developing his interest in handmade books, taking part in bookbinding classes, as well as student collective projects.
In 2019, Massimo exhibited with a solo expo of Engraved Works at the Kezuo Art Space in Venice, which showcased 20 prints across calcography, lithography, and relief print.
Due to the pandemic he decided to open a private print studio in his hometown in early 2020. Loneliness became an opportunity for artistic research and self analysis, and Massimo was able to develop a better figurative language and a print for his master degree in graphic arts in march 2021.
However, his urge to print alongside the students of the academy rose, so Massimo decided to make his lab suitable as a shelter to others, and build a fertile soil for printmakers in the area. His idea was a success, and lots of them came to print whilst the Academy was closed. Thus, Massimo’s ultimate mission was born: meeting people and printing together, in order to keep printmaking alive.
“Printmaking makes us feel the power of unity and cooperation.”
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