This was the place where, in a handful of weeks, I would have opened my exhibition CONSERVATION. The very first thought was drenched in pain. Reading the first posts on Facebook, the sharing of drama, the overflowing of emojis, the racist comments on what is going to built there instead, the uncountable “do you remember…”, the race to crown which memory is the best one, mine or yours?… all of the above took me straight back to 1976, to the days and weeks after the earthquake.

A “no” is always a “no”. I don’t think it matters if you are 18, 30 or 52; if it’s your first or the last of a long line of “no’s”. It hurts. The first thing was looking for a validation and I found only smashed ideals. Then, the smaller part of me, shrunk to almost nothing and tried to find a justification to wear on my face on Monday morning. That right look that says it all: I have at least tried, I still believe in me, it’s only a piece of work, only wood, it’s just the f

Soundtrack to this post: “Assassin Creed Theme”, by Lorne Balfe. What’s my idea of peace? I could have started this piece in different ways, but in the end, it’s always better to go straight to the point: what’s my concept of peace? To me, peace is synonym with S T I L L N E S S Hence, war is anything that drags me away from stillness and silence and quietness against my own desires. I crave silence and stillness. I long for peace. I search and sniff, explore and hunt for tha