Close Window

Claudia Spinelli

"My childhood was very rich and very poor, so our dolls were made of discarded pieces of cloth with hair made of string. My grandmother would make up stories for me, and she enriched my life through her art. I remember painting faces on dolls together with my grandmother, according to our own imagination. We turned cans of sardines or oils into little cars and we made the tires from bottle caps.

"This direct contact with art, which started at an early age, spurred my passion for art, especially after seeing the beautiful crochets, knits and embroideries that my grandmother and aunts used to do. In that way, without having many resources, my family used to save everything that could one day be useful.

"I have always enjoyed creating, and nature guided me into this path. I remember making dolls every time we'd go to the beach, and all I used was sand. When I was 42 years old, a time of life when many think it's too late to learn anything new, I was accepted into a papier maché course. I was very happy to see how I could transform waste paper into a work of art! I started with simple things, which I perfected little by little, and to this day I continue to look for ways to perfect it.

"What for others is waste, for me it's a luxury! It can be a plastic bottle with enormous possibilities without throwing anything away. I know that in this way I am also contributing to saving Mother Nature, because I pick up from the floor a variety of things – a paper box, newspaper, or a straw that would otherwise end up polluting the rivers or dirtying the streets.

"My present goal is to start up a workshop and work with people who share my vision for the future. I want people to go into the streets and select what for others is rubbish, like sardine cans. I want to teach them how to transform waste into luxury items without feeling ashamed. To the contrary, I want them to be proud of what they do.

"It's very gratifying for me to be able to exhibit my work through Novica. They have supported my work and guided me in aspects of quality. My husband and my children surprised me by 'rolling up their sleeves and getting down to it.' They are working by my side, so now we spend a lot of time together, chatting, sharing ideas, learning from one another. We're also harvesting the fruits of our hard work, and we are more united than ever.

"It is worthwhile to teach. In a way it makes me feel useful, happy and accomplished."