Dafne Suite, Valeria Carrieri

Valeria Carrieri lives by parking thoughts that don’t know where to belong, so they settle in a space between the myths of metamorphosis and the fantastical journey of a reality passed off as a dream, which is no dream at all, but rather a pure creation of worlds where anything can happen. Even encountering a half-man, half-fish and politely asking him for a rather unwise coupling, or seeing a starfish appear, shining in the blue sky of a sunny day.

Papier-mâché, applied with painterly care, is one of the mediums Valeria uses to bring to life studio apartments located inside pitchers, whose handles risk resembling mumbling arms, though they are not. Yes, because someone is always peeking out from the mouths of these pitchers, appearing like someone sticking their head into a hole. Yet we know this is no joke; everything is clothed in grace and seriousness. Just look at the expression of each individual leaf, not a smile, not a hint of being mocked: a lizard might bite you, a pair of cherries might eat you, a comb might refuse to comb your hair. Every dress made for a ball can turn into a nightgown if one falls asleep in it. It is doing this in reverse that Valeria does so well. Looking at things inside out, as in poetry. (Luigi Presicce)