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How does your participation in Make-It-Pop! resonate with the exhibition’s emphasis on vibrant colors, graphic styles, and ironic subject matters?

Make-It-Pop! aligns naturally with my practice. I use bold color and graphic forms as a way to communicate joy and curiosity, often pairing playful aesthetics with layered meaning. The exhibition’s embrace of pop language and irony mirrors how my work invites viewers in while encouraging deeper reflection.

What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your work in the Make-It-Pop! exhibition at InLiquid Gallery?
I hope viewers feel uplifted and transported. My goal is to spark imagination and offer a moment of lightness—while also creating a sense of emotional connection and curiosity.

You transitioned from jewelry design to painting in 1998. What prompted that shift, and does jewelry still influence your work today?
I wanted more freedom to tell stories on a larger scale. Jewelry taught me precision, layering, and attention to detail, all of which continue to influence how I build compositions and characters in my paintings.

Born in Italy, raised in Africa, and now a recipient of the “Extraordinary Talent in the Arts” visa, do these global backgrounds influence your art? And if so, in what ways?

My background deeply informs my work. Italy grounded me in visual culture, Africa shaped my relationship to color and rhythm, and the U.S. encouraged experimentation. Together, they inform a visual language that feels borderless and imaginative.

Your Bugibatuki inhabitants are residents of your created planet, YaTii Talisman.
What inspired you when creating this alternate world?

YaTii Talisman was born from imagination, necessity, and play. It began as a joyful universe where curiosity, kindness, and creativity reign. The Bugibatukis emerged as the inhabitants of YaTii Talisman on a mission to help Earth— guides navigating their own magical ecosystem. Creating this world allows me to tell stories without limits, while inviting viewers into an alternate universe.

Could you expand upon the process from conception to creation of how you create each inhabitant and their representations through your vivid use of color?

Each Bugibatuki begins intuitively—often as a feeling, a mood. From there, I build layers of color, allowing the palette to guide the character’s personality and energy. Color is never decorative; it’s expressive and intentional. The process is playful but focused, balancing instinct with refinement. Over time, each inhabitant reveals itself, becoming both a visual presence and a storyteller within the larger universe of YaTii Talisman.