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interview: maggie van der toorn

Interview: Maggie Van der Toorn

Luca Curci‘s conversation with video artist Maggie Van der Toorn, after her participation in MORPHOS festival.

Maggie Van der Toorn, born in Holland in 1961, lives in Italy since 1980. Thanks to the language of her adopting country she has found the best way to express her thoughts and turn them into short stories in her books and screenplays. She expresses the fantasy following the thread of emotion in a continuous alternation of bright and dark, lights and shadows. She writes to mingle with the reader or with those who follow her in the theatrical events she organizes.

Luca Curci – Your work has just been exhibited during MORPHOS – Sustainable Empires in Venice: can you talk about your personal experience in Venice with International ArtExpo?

Maggie Van der Toorn – International ArtExpo gave me a great opportunity while choosing one of my works for the exhibition at Morphos – Sustainable Empires in Venice. I saw the advertising Call for Artist and I felt quite ready to take the chance to exhibit my short-movie in such a wonderful place like Venice during the Biennale, although the deadline was definitely tight.

L.C. – Can you talk about the artwork you presented in Venice? How is it linked with the festival’s theme?

M.V.d.T. – I was always considering to make a short-movie and I have gained some experience by making a few trailers for my own books. So I wrote a short story fitting the required theme and I called it “Labirinti Urbani” (Urban Labyrinths): “The urban battles for survival, a sort of city fights against the dehumanization and indifference, against boredom and depersonalization, where the blinking control lights  immerse themselves in a urban chaotic context, cold and intrusive, where the individual loses his natural connotation. Primordial mankind leaves space for hidden shapes, faces, souls, eyes that cross in a maze of identities. The neuro-urban connections suddenly become clear, un-reveal the mess of black and white, and drive towards the right solution. The urban mazes drive you now to the City Lights that wake up colorful and reassuring, and that wrap you with warmness. The sights and the eyes, like in a humanized bluetooth connection, are the subtle power circuit of our city discovering navigator.”
I choose the most appropriate soundtrack and in collaboration with a co-worker, a professional filmmaker Daniele Quadrelli I’ve finished post-producing it just in time. The intention was to shoot the film in the town where I live, Rimini, near the Adriatic Sea, just because I was familiar with the most suitable places for best reflecting the story. I realized that it’s possible to produce a work in such a short time if there’s a good collaboration and if you’ve have clear effective ideas.

L.C. – What are you currently working on?

M.V.d.T. – I’m an event-manager and I’m a writer. Currently I’m working on my next book and I’m working on a new short-film, a fantasy story with a base of reality.

L.C. – What is art for you?

M.V.d.T. – Art for me is a way sometimes to escape from normal life but also to enrich it somehow; a never-ending journey to discover new horizons, a deep passion for different images, situations and connections to find myself  back in my own works, trying to transmit deeply emotions to the people who follows me. The labyrinth of emotions, indeed.

L.C. – What do you think about International ArtExpo organization?

M.V.d.T. – International ArtExpo connects artists all over the world giving them the opportunity to attend to major international exhibitions in beautiful locations.

L.C. – Do you think International ArtExpo organization can represent an opportunity for artists?

M.V.d.T. – I have met many of these artists during the Morphos Festival, I’ve made new friendships and I consider this an expanded artistic network for future cooperation. Thanks to International ArtExpo my work for Video-Art has been showed in Venice at Palazzo Albrizzi during the Biennale, an attractive place which was visited by many enthusiast people. Visitors who were able to meet together with famous artists, a wonderful chance for visibility. Thanks to International ArtExpo one of my greatest wishes came true.