Hi Dreamers, how are you?
I haven't written an article since December 2022! I only realized this recently and I'm sorry I gave up, so I want to try to catch up and keep the blog a little updated!
I could skip last year and just start again but a lot of exciting things happened and some tough things to swallow. I also participated in several interesting events and exhibitions so I would say that 2023 was an important year that deserves to be remembered, also for its intensity.
I ended 2022 and started 2023 with a bang, in the crystal clear waters of Koh Lipe in Thailand, a paradise that I recommend you discover, if you haven't already been!
I created my first two large paintings SKY LIGHTS UP 1 & 2, (currently on display and on sale exclusively with Collect Art World Gallery) I created these works at the beginning of the year, inspired by the Chinese New Year, in particular the ancient tradition of color the sky with fireworks, the noise of which will drive away evil spirits. The two paintings are intended to be a good omen for a happy and prosperous life.
In February, I toured Taiwan far and wide. I started from Taipei, then traveled by high-speed train to Tainan, Taichung, Sun Moon Lake and finally visited picturesque Jiufen, a mountain town with a beautiful sea view before concluding my tour back in Taipei. Opinion? I really liked Taiwan! Truly special...at times I felt like I was in China, at times in Japan, a beautiful meeting of cultures.
March was a truly full month: I flew with my husband to Singapore for the One Republic concert (our favorite band) then I participated in Kind Malaysia 2023, a charity event that took place at the Mitec in Kuala Lumpur, where I exhibited my SKY LIGHTS UP for the first time. Finally we returned to Italy for about a month where we had to face a painful loss in the family. Experiencing these situations on the other side of the world is not at all easy, on the contrary, it is a high price you pay when you decide to live abroad, far from your loved ones.
April, on the other hand, was a somewhat flat month in which my husband and I needed to heal our wounds and recover. There was no shortage of stress and to add complexity to an already difficult period, we had problems with the visa renewal and so to unblock the procedure we had to leave Malaysia for a few weeks.
So in May we went first to Singapore again and then to Vietnam, in particular Ho Chi Minh City, which I visited for the first time and then Hanoi. This was my second visit and my love for this city was confirmed, despite the almost 50° temperatures!
Between the end of June and the beginning of July my husband had to go to Australia for a few weeks for work and so I took the opportunity to visit it! I had never been to Australia before and going there in winter perhaps didn't make it easier for me to appreciate it. Also thanks to the fact that in Malaysia I have almost all summer or light clothes, I must say that the thermal shock was acceptable but the strong wind, especially in Melbourne, annoyed me as well as made me ill! I would like to give Australia a second chance and visit it in the summer or in any case with milder weather. Apart from the weather, I liked all the cities I have been to, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, although each one is different from the other.
In August, I finished two more paintings HEARTBEAT 1 & 2, inspired by my experiences, memories and travels around the world. Two mixed media works with collages that represent precisely these moments of my life. (Both on sale exclusively with Collect Art World Gallery)
Could we then not take a trip in August? Spoiler, Malaysia has a perfect location for traveling in Asia at low cost prices! So we flew to Indonesia, specifically to Lombok where we spent a few days and then headed to the Gili. A wonderful holiday that I would do again although I must say that I didn't particularly love the afternoon low tide on the Gili Islands, it was basically impossible to swim in the sea in the afternoon!
In September I participated in the collective exhibition Kita Orang, organized inside the Avenue K shopping center in KLCC where I had the opportunity to exhibit various works including HEARTBEAT 1 & 2 for the first time. Shortly after the exhibition, it now seems like a tradition, I flew to Bangkok. If the first time I visited it, unfortunately I didn't enjoy it because I wasn't calm, I was going through a difficult period, this time I loved it and it placed itself at the top of the list of cities I would move to if I had to leave Kuala Lumpur.
October was another super full month. I finished GO WITH THE FLOW, a mixed media work composed of four panels, in which I want to convey the importance of being yourself, not being influenced by the masses but being free to live the life you ​​want, realize your dreams and follow your flow. Do you agree?
Life, however, sometimes also makes us suffer and that month I had to say goodbye to my dear Renato (Ronnie to his friends), an adorable little hamster who has kept me so much company since I moved to Malaysia in the middle of the pandemic. With pain in our hearts we celebrated my husband's birthday in Bali. My opinion? Beautiful, magical, spiritual but too transformed and denaturalized due to tourism. Seeing trendy clubs and rice plantations razed to the ground to build modern villas made my heart hurt a lot. That weekend we traveled far and wide, visiting too much. I promised myself I would return but next time I will just think about relaxing and enjoying the true spirit of Bali, as far away from the tourist places as possible.
October was also the month I first exhibited GO WITH THE FLOW during the 1X1 group exhibition at TTDI, Greydea Studio, Kuala Lumpur. Studio Gallery of local artist Ajim Juxta, exhibition organized by Titikmerah Collective. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to participate.
(GO WITH THE FLOW is also currently on exclusive sale with Collect Art World Gallery)
Among the various activities carried out during the year, which I do regularly in Kuala Lumpur and in every place I have been, I visited art galleries and events to meet new artists, open my mind and network more and more and to get inspiration. I then rescued a cat and volunteered at an animal shelter. I created a limited collection on paper, participated in a Christmas bazaar at the end of November and finally traveled to Italy in December with this collection which remained on display until mid-2024 in Tra Terra e Cielo Boutique in Battaglia Terme, Padova.
Once we celebrated Christmas with our families, my husband and I returned to Asia for New Year's Eve and recharged our energy in Thailand, between the beaches of Krabi and Phi Phi Island.
How can I end this post if not with...WHAT A CRAZY YEAR!
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