METAMORPHOSIS ISSUE 14
Nicolò Canava
Nga kupu a Matthew Burgos
Growing up in his household, Nicolò Canova's parents would chase him around the four corners of their quaint home as the young artist gripped the crayons in his hands, drawing onto the surfaces he eyed: the coffee table, pakitara ma, plush sofas, wooden chairs, encyclopedia-sized books, and blank notebooks. His young eyes viewed all objects as canvasses, the mindset he has lived in since. Immersing himself in art, he has experimented with collage, pastels, oil painting, and digital art until he found the practice of echoing himself onto blank slates through pastel hues. "Art for me is a form of pure expression and communication, the ability to realize what I see, a sort of meditation. I am my art", says Canova.
As an Illustration graduate of the International Academy of Comics in Turin, Kaore te kaitoi Itari e mataku ki te takaro ki nga mea ka puta mai i tana whakaaro. "Ko te mea tino whakamiharo mo te mahi toi ko te tuku tae ki te ao ka kitea e au ma oku kanohi, ki nga taonga e whakahihiko ana i ahau, me nga kaupapa e taea ai e au te rongo kare-a-roto," ka mea ia. Ko nga wa poto o te oranga o ia ra ka huri ki tana mahi auaha, nui atu ina haere ia ki roto i te hokomaha. Ko nga rarangi hua i roto i nga rahi me nga tae rereke e whakaohooho ana i te whakaaro o Canova ki te punga i nga ahua me nga atarangi e puhake ana ki nga whakaahua maamaa mo nga mea ka whakaatuhia e ia i muri mai.. I roto i tana raupapa toi, ka titi e ia te faaururaa i roto i tona hinengaro, e hikoi ana ki tana taiwhanga, me te tuhi i aua kupu whakarite ki runga i te pepa patea. "Ko te waahanga tae he tuarua, a ko te tikanga ka whakawhirinaki ki te hua e hiahiatia ana. Ko te kowhiri me te whakamahi i nga papatae ka puta tata noa."
Ko te whakaaro o tana whakaaturanga e korero ana i nga korero a te tangata e noho ana hei tangata takitahi me te kaitoi. Ahakoa e whakaae ana ia ka pehia e ia nga mahi toi tino pai mai i tana tuhinga korero, ka kitea e ia kua toia ki nga whakaahua motuhake hei whakamaumahara i tetahi waahanga o tona oranga. "'Kua ohorere a Ed Ko te peita tuatahi i hiahia ahau ki te haere mai i te mea he wahanga o te whakaaturanga i Barcelona. I taua wa, I mohio ahau ka taea hoki e te toi te kite i nga waahi kare ano ahau i tae atu, awhi i taku kaha ki te haere, ka tutaki ki nga kanohi hou ka taea e au te tiri i aku mahi toi. Kātahi, 'Ka urutau ahau kare au e ngaro' ko tetahi o nga peita i mahia e au. I muri noa i te kati i Itari, He whakaaturanga taku i te tonga o Itari, a ka rite ki te manawa hau hou, he reka o te ora. Na tenei mahi toi i kaha ake ai ahau ki taku whanaketanga hou."
Kua puāwai mai tana māia me tana whakawhirinaki ki ana mahi toi tae noa ki te ekenga o ia ki te taumata hou e mahi tahi ana me te United Nations., Disney, Hepora, Lancome, Huawei, ki te whakaingoa i etahi, mo nga whakaahua arumoni. Ahakoa ko te whakamihi kua tohuhia tana whakapuaki whaiaro, te whakairo i te ara mo te reo o roto ki te komuhumuhu karekau he mea hei awangawanga mona, Ko ta Canova e tino tiaki ana ko nga peita e korero ana mo tana haerenga ki tona waahi. 'Te wa o taku heke mai' ka puta he maminga hohonu mo Canova i tana hokinga mai i tona haputanga ki te titiro ki te whakamiharo o ana mahi.. "He uaua tonu ahau ki a au ano ina tae mai ki aku mahi. Kei te whakaaro tonu ahau kei te ngaro tetahi mea; he wahi panga e kore e kitea e au i tua atu o nga mahi toi i mahia e au. Ko tenei peita te mea tuatahi i tino aroha ahau i te mea kua kitea e au taua 'tatau' e rapu ana ahau. Kei muri i tera, he wahi i huraina, he whakaaturanga o taku ahua me taku huarahi i roto i nga mahi toi."
Mo Canova, ka waiatatia e tona reo i roto i ana mahi toi te waiata a te hunga e huna ana ko wai ratou, e pa ana ki te whakaoranga o o raatau tuakiri. "Ki taku whakaaro ka huna e ia tangata a ratou ake korero, wheako, me nga ahuatanga - ko nga mea e kore e kitea e te kanohi. Ka uru nga tae ki roto i a tatou hei whakaatu ko wai tatou, he aha te ahua o tatou. Ka huri haere tatou i roto i te nekehanga tonu me te whanaketanga mutunga kore. Ko to tatou hononga ki te ao o waho ka puta he tauhohenga i roto i to tatou ao, ka huri, tupu, ka pahū. I aku mahi toi, Ka ngana ahau ki te tohu i tera o roto, kare e taea te aukati ma te rapu korero me te whakaohooho i aua kare-a-roto ma te whiu paraihe tae me nga hanganga i roto i nga ao pohewa he papatahi i etahi wa, i etahi wa hihiri. Ka noho te tinana o te tangata hei waka ki te ako i nga mea huna o raro me nga mea kaore e kitea i te titiro tuatahi, i roto i nga ao i hangaia he rereke, poraka, whakawhanui, mapi, maumahara, kaha, me te manawanui."
I a ia e titiro ana ki roto ki te whakaaro mo te tangata me te tangata toi, Kua tutaki a Canova ki a ia ano, kua hurahia e ia tenei ahua o te whakaatu i a ia ano na roto i nga mahi makutu toi o ana tangi pastel.. I roto 'I tetahi wa, i ahau e tamariki ana', a rising figure resembles sea waves and hovers over a tiny protagonist who stands on the tip of the ripple, the scarf that wraps around his neck swaying. It evokes Canova's courage in facing his doubts and fears that seem to culminate inside him, no matter how daring the flashes of negativity can be. His interpretation of paradise permeates through 'The idea of Utopia'. Te four characters' mind explodes in euphoric soft-hued colors, fusing as one to signal harmony in collective thoughts and perceptions. "I have always been enthusiastic and always look for what is new. At the same time, I am often scared about the future, the world, the comparisons, and the possibility of losing my childlike perspective and nature. Often, I lose myself in these thoughts as if I would melt away with them, but I think I have to pass through them to transform. It is a way to learn how to be mindful of the world, to feel what surrounds us, not with our eyes but with our soul."
Embracing this philosophy, Nicolò Canova evolves and revolves. He moves in constant motion and mutation, cradling the belief of its necessity and rising like a phoenix. Every day, he learns, thinks, believes, questions, and becomes surprised at what he sees, feels, hears tastes, and respires. For him, everything changes. The word 'metamorphosis' weighs as an essential process one has to confront as he unveils a series of discoveries he has never known before.
Artwork Courtesy of the Artist