While riding on the subway this past weekend, a Roy Lichtenstein printed dress catches our eyes. We snap a photo unaware of its inherent foreshadowing. We are on our way to visit the studio of the surrealist/academic artist Cristina Vergano. Having met Cristina several times around town, we were thrilled to get the chance to see her in her natural habitat, uninterrupted and entirely present. Cristina is a warm, sensual, intelligent woman that exudes grace and kindness from the moment you walk into her studio. She insists we keep our shoes on despite being wet and dirty from the New York City streets; however, we cannot oblige out of respect for her workspace. She leaves the room and returns with slippers because, for her, our comfort is of utmost importance.
Upon entering the studio, you find yourself taking a stroll through Cristina’s own imaginary daydream, ultimately unable to decipher between perception and reality. Two black hawks are perched on an overhead pipe, while an utterly white sheep wearing a black mask grazes the carpet below. Yet, what is so truly perplexing about the studio is that the countless brilliant weird instances seem to accompany each other so effortlessly. It is almost as if you have entered a dream yourself as every little thing becomes nothing more than a ‘presence,’ a presence that needs no explanation nor justification.
And just when you think your mind has reached its full capacity, you are introduced to a young girl with the head of a gorilla holding a gun. You greet her as an old friend, an equal. And while settling into the imaginary world, imagination becomes reality. When admiring a chair made of bones, a chair made of our own bones upon death does not seem half bad.
As our eyes scan the expansive loft, we notice a surrealist painting of a horse head with a female body. The figure is wearing a Roy Lichtenstein printed dress, just like the girl on the subway, and with that, we knew our presence in this studio was meant to be.
We continue touring the studio, and notice that pastoral landscapes serve as common backdrops for Cristina to share subtle hints towards feminism, and her playful interpretations of ‘pop-art.’ Aggression and sex-drive blend together through Laws of Attraction, while Cristina’s “nasty” version of the mythological story Leda and the Swan hangs proudly.
At Cristina’s work area, there is a canvas on an easel (a work in progress), a silver cup filled with paintbrushes of various sizes, and tubes of colorful paints next to an enormous cup of tea to fuel the creative process. As we take in this area our eyes notice a pair of handcuffs casually dangling from the cart, one wonders…
“I never decided to be an artist,” she says, “art was always just what I did best, the only thing I could do, really. My father always praised and fostered me, and taught me color, composition and design and how to analyze things visually.” When asked about her influences, she tells a story of walking the streets of Milan hand and hand with her father. He would point out the architectural details on every corner. She learned from her architect father to have a keen eye, to notice details, and to see things from another vantage point. Emotions begin to spur as we listen to her story: what a beautiful gift for a parent to give his young daughter. In sharing his creative talent with Cristina, he fostered a strong foundation for her to begin an art career.
We sit for a few moments in one of several lounging areas within her studio. The topic turns to tattoo art and ultimately whether Cristina herself has any tattoos. She proceeds to tell yet another captivating story. At a young age, she asked her sister, a tattoo artist, to design one for her and place it on her body in a discrete place, unseen by Cristina. How interesting to have a tattoo that you would never see, a secret between siblings. An infatuation for hidden meanings and secret messages did not begin, however, with a tattoo. When Cristina was little, her mother introduced her to a puzzle popular in the 1800’s known as a Rebus, expecting her daughter to become enthralled with solving them. Yet, rather than just contemplate the solution, Cristina was often dissatisfied with the poor quality of the puzzles she was given, and, therefore, became interested in mixing her own images and letters, with a cryptic decipherable meaning. Maybe a Rebus would be the perfect tattoo for Cristina, one that would represent her past as well as her playful and mysterious nature.
We are sad to leave, but all good things must come to an end. On our way out, we peek into the bathroom only to be met by a dozen watchful eyes against scattered mirrors. There is never a dull moment with Cristina Vergano.
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This month we bring you surrealist and academics artist Cristina Vergano. Cristina was featured in the October 2014 issue of Blouin Art & Auction “Wise Buys 50 Women Artist Worth Watching”. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, ArtNews, Art in America and New York Magazine. http://www.cristinavergano.com/home
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