Eleonora Pasti
Artist Bio
A professional artist in Luxembourg and France for 15 years, Eleonora Pasti arrived in Australia in November 2021. While her art is constantly evolving, it invariably reflects and evokes themes and notions that make it recognisable, personal and autobiographical. She defines herself as an artivist; an artist who is deeply engaged in feminist and gender issues. Art for Eleonora is always political.
Her studies at the University of Bologna, under the guidance of Umberto Eco, led her to search for connections between different disciplines. Language, culture, religion, architecture and fashion are just a few examples where the semiotics of art can "play".
Now that she lives in Sydney (Redfern), she is inspired by the strong presence of Nature in the city. With a sustainable art (natural materials, natural pigments, environmentally friendly process), she started an all new series of works using leaves and bark found in the streets where she lives.
Artist Statement
‘Art helps me understand where I live and the society I belong to’.
The exuberance and power of nature in Sydney has always struck me since I first visited the city. As a textile artist I like to explore new materials to put under my sewing machine and the leaves and bark of the Eucalyptus trees proved to be great substitutes for the fabrics I couldn't bring with me from Europe.
I therefore thought of proposing in this space the short-circuit that occurred within my creative vein, an Australian carnival, where Harlequin is a cat face sewn with rhombuses of eucalyptus leaves of different colours, and Pantalone and Pulcinella have been transformed into tree spirits or kings of the woods.
The leaves, with their bright colours, also reminded me of the confetti that accumulates along the streets after the carnival parades.
In this climate of exploration and freedom, I also started some attempts at ecological printing from leaves and bark on cotton and felt scraps. These are the results of two months of experimentation.