Luigi Russo

Luigi Russo, aka GG, is an Italian artist born, bred, and buttered in a small town near Verona. He started photography at a young age: in addition to capturing the images that most attract him and working on them in post-production, what obsesses him are the very mechanisms of the camera itself. He works mainly in black and white film.

His passion for painting developed almost in parallel, and his production of enormous canvases intensified in adulthood. In recent years he has approached digital painting, where photography and painting meet, allowing him to reach that chaos of solid colours and distorted images that best represent his artistic feel.

Meet Luigi

How would you define your poetics?

My poetics is purely based on my instinct. I am guided by immediate sensations that a particular image or situation arouses in me.

Can you describe your creative process?

Anything can inspire me: a photo, a walk in nature, or around the city. The details matter to me, which I then rework by adding images from my inner world. The final composition usually is something very convoluted. A dystopian reality where my imagination and reality collide, and a new artistic entity emerges from the chaos.

What's in the "room of your own" where you create your artworks?

In the room of my own you can find an iPad, colours, watercolour, pastels, a projector, canvas, and music.

What keeps you inspired and motivated?

Everyday life. Anything can be an inspiration, from the darkest moments to the most joyful. If a particular event or feeling catches my attention, I step outside and observe and immerse myself again and live in the present as much as possible.

How do you think projects like Tits’n’Tales can make a difference?

Projects like Tits'n'Tales are very important to me. In an era where we are overexposed to poor-quality content from the media, having a space where you can be free to express yourself and at the same time receive continuous stimuli, reflections, and valuable artistic creations is a great privilege. In addition, the idea of matching two expressive languages according to the poetics of the illustrator and the writer is significant.