The Emotional Maps by Giorgio Distefano

“The Emotional Maps”

The book collects the artist’s paintings from 2013 to 2019, his autobiography as a creator, and his perspective towards art itself. Giorgio Distefano chose the sewing pattern papers used in clothing as the foundation of his creation, which also served as a way of memorializing his grandmother. To him, the lines on the sewing pattern paper also represent a measuring map of human body. Years after moving from Sicily to Florence, when touring with the troupe throughout Italy in his early years, he experienced the memorable moments that life once had through moving landscapes, which brings to his work, a sense of melancholy and nostalgia.

Bookbinding

Introduced by a friend, we got acquainted with a 85-year-old man, Mr. Xiao, on Dabu Street, Wanhua District. In the room of a traditional housing, was an ancient manual hot foil printing machine. Nowadays, where mass printing is available, I chose the slow-paced working method, which in a sense, was a way to pay tribute to the artist’s grandmother as well. While documenting every step of the old man, from surface sizing to hot foil stamping, I realized the perseverance within the craftsman, and the irreplaceable experience throughout time.

About the artist Giorgio Distefano

Born in Ragusa, Sicily in Italy in 1972, and after graduating from Florence Academy of Fine Arts, Giorgio Distefano settled there. Under the influence of his grandmother, a seamstress, the artist made use of the sewing pattern papers for creation, showed his observation in landscapes and light through colors, and expressed his deepest emotions by transforming the traditional Italian votive symbol.