Artists on the Map

Our guest is Antonella Quacchia , an artist born in Italy , raised in Brazil , and shaped by a life lived across many countries and cultures. Only a few years ago she decided to begin her professional artistic journey, and she has not stopped since. Drawing deeply from her biographical experiences, she channels her multicultural background into a practice that feels both personal and universal. Through her work, Antonella explores the themes of migration , division , and human separation while also offering something profoundly hopeful. Her art invites viewers to consider that multiple truths can coexist and that understanding becomes possible when we give ourselves the chance to see the world from another perspective. By reframing her own life’s displacements as sources of insight and connection, she proposes an artistic vision rooted in empathy , curiosity, and the potential for renewed understanding. Read more about her fascinating story and work here: https://medium.com/@sandrami...

  Our guest is Luis Rodriguez Naranjo , a Mexican artist with a healthy obsession: the pig as symbol, the filter through which he understands and portrays the world, offering us an alternative narrative. Luis was born into a family of pig farmers in La Piedad, Mexico, the artist grew up with the pig as more than just livelihood — it became part of memory, culture, and identity. Over time, the pig transformed into the central visual and conceptual axis of his visual work. He calls this process “pig-ifying”: objects, scenes, or references in order to reimagine everything; not as parody but a playful, ironic re-signification that becomes a mirror as he states:while some viewers perceive harmony or poetry, others see satire or grotesque humor — reflecting the pig’s rich symbolic weight across cultures. Luis often adapts and reinterprets artistic languages from other artists into a personal, “pig-ified” world, not as an appropriation per se but more from that question he often asks him...

Guest of today - Roberta di Laudo Check her interview here https://youtu.be/1STG8sKCtUo?si=tMuBMH5yjfRVxlx_ Her work explores the body as both a symbol of self-affirmation and a personal diary, aiming to grant it dignity and weight in everyday life. By weaving sacred and cultural symbols—rooted in religion, Abruzzo’s natural landscapes, and domestic settings—she creates images that intertwine the sacred and profane, inviting viewers to reflect on the body’s meaning and purpose through a shared, yet deeply personal lens. Roberta lives and works in Torino https://www.instagram.com/robertadilaudo /

  My first guest of 2025 is Liu Shuang, a painter from Shanghai who focuses on contemporary international portraiture and the intrinsic connection between urban life and humanity. I encountered Liu Shuang’s artworks long before meeting him in person. In fact, I wrote about his artistic practice before ever seeing one of his paintings in real life. Reflecting on portraiture today and understanding the motivations behind a contemporary artist’s choice to engage with this timeless medium was both intriguing and thought-provoking. Traditional techniques and portrait painting encompass a vast and profound universe. After spending countless hours studying Liu Shuang's impressive portraits, I realized that two powerful reasons underlie his choice of this medium. First, there is the emotional and spiritual resonance a painted portrait can evoke. Unlike photography, painting conveys a deeply personal and meditative experience through brushstrokes, color choices, and composition—connecting t...

  My first guest is Liao Wanning, a chinese contemporary painter celebrated for her evocative oil paintings that merge symbolism and realism. One one hand, it feels like we are entering her characters mind or their dreams, the often absurd ones our brains produce in order to solve things or arrange memories. On the other hand when the paintings are portraits the feeling is a face to face encounter with some sort of important truth mirrored in the figure. She explores complex, contrasting relationships, moments where joy and pain coexist in the same amount of intensity, silent yet palpable undertones, and surreal narratives emphasize the emotional isolation of contemporary individuals. While visually harmonious in color and composition, her art poses existential questions to its audience. A full article about her work can be read here: https://medium.com/@sandramirandap/193914bd91db And now let's meet the human being behind the art: Sandra Miranda Pattin: Do you think you have a mis...

Welcome to my new blog, a platform dedicated to uncovering and amplifying the voices of contemporary artists worldwide. Drawing on my experience as a curator and my deep dive into the world of contemporary art over the past 15 years, this blog aims to shine a light on exceptional talents, bridge cultural boundaries, and place artists firmly on the map. In a rapidly evolving art landscape, I believe that every artist has a unique story to tell—one that deserves to reach audiences far and wide. Having spent over a decade immersed in the dynamic of Chinese, Italian and also South American Contemporary Art, I'm moved by stories that inspire and provoke thought, whether through bold political commentary, quiet explorations of personal memory, or reimaginings of cultural history. Through this blog, I hope to share not only my insights and discoveries but also a space where artists, collectors, and enthusiasts can connect, learn, and dicover the human being behind the artwork.