Simone Frabboni

Bio

Simone Frabboni was born in Bologna, Italy, on the last day of 1976, just before the year of punk started. His father was an artist so he grew up surrounded by art, however, Simone was advised not to make any. Being a rebel, he took this path in his studies and worked many years as a restorer. Making wood art and jewels has been part of a constant practice of sculpture. He is known for his wood jewelry. Wood is his favourite element and is used as a way to act close to nature, in a moving equilibrium. The same can be said of when he used to ride his skateboard like a pro. A skateboard actually is both a piece of wood and a master of life. Making eco-jewelry is part of a wider path of eco-sustainability.

Statement

Since I was a child, woodworking has been a way to know the world and express myself. I remember carving little sticks, to experiment with wood with my whole body, climbing trees and letting myself swing in the wind.
My work is based on ecological materials and handcrafting tradition. My inspiration comes from nature and art, so wood is the meeting point between them, which is my favorite material and a feature of my work.
I work with wood, metals, resin and other materials with the same care, for a design that starts from the matter. I mix different techniques, like renaissance inlay, wood turning, wood carving, molder making, resin carving, etc. I mostly work the wildwood essences, that I look for by myself or in collaboration with gardeners and woodmen, making all the seasoning process in my workshop.
My work mixes everything: street culture, fashion, Renaissance and Gothic art inspirations and indigenous people art and cultures. I have been studying native peoples material culture and probably the sense of their ornaments has inspired me to make jewelry. Traditional handcrafted objects, in fact, give me the idea that every daily activity can be seen with an artistic point of view. Something that contemporary material culture has lost throughout the mass production of disposable objects.
My research about beauty, art and ecology are connected and my work has been teaching me this is a way of life. Wood has taught me to grow imperfection as a virtue. My aim is to make jewels which are both ancient and contemporary. As trees are.
/ Simone Frabboni
 

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