New episode with Flavia Robalo: Dreaming
Our latest episode is out now
Listen to Flavia Robalo: Dreaming
From a very young age Flavia drew and painted. She was always asking everyone around her for paper and colours because drawing was her language and her refuge. It was her way of processing everything that happened to her, much as some people use writing.
Flavia is inspired by her childhood and her work often ends up being self-portraits. Even if she tries to invent different characters behind her pieces, they always end up being her.
The wind and roots are enduring themes in her work. You will often see characters flying or playing in the wind, while roots, Flavia says, allow you to move to another country while still retaining your culture and history.
Flavia’s paintings of children flying, at Tre Luci
Flavia co-founded La Polveriera, one of the last remaining studios in the centre of Pietrasanta, with her childhood friend Veronica Fonzo. But when the building was sold to developers, Flavia set up a new studio on the edge of Pietrasanta called Tre Luci. Here she and a handful of colleagues can work in peace without complaints about noise or dust.
As always, you can see photos that accompany our episodes on our website materiallyspeaking.com or on Instagram.
Enjoy listening.
Sarah Monk
producer, Materially Speaking