On the works, you use many kinds of media such as cutting paper, paintings, clay objects and film. How did you come to be an artist?

I studied Mass Media in NL and Decoration at the Art School of Milan. At Brera −name of the school- you could study Painting, Sculpture, Set Design and Decoration. Now the Italian higher education system is rapidly changing, but then you could chose your professor (maestro) on what he/she programmed and how you were allowed to choose your other subjects with him/her.
I opted for Decoration because it gave me far more freedom than the courses of Painting and Sculpture. And within Decoration, I choose a professor who let me study and do subjects I thought were useful for my development. In the end I studied something in between Painting and Sculpture. Not really Installation, but something very near to it.
But I was late. I started Brera when I was 30.
I always was interested in Art and I −like to- remember my youth as one big drawing but I grew up in a rather stiff upper lip environment were you simply went to university, no discussion needed even.
Art was part of my culture, my education but definitely not seen as a way of living. And I was a rather shy 17 year old when I made my −first- choice. So I studied Mass Media and I enjoyed it very much.
I had to read a lot −which I still like to do- and the subjects around human behavior interests me. I am fascinated about the, what I call, human paradox; wanting to be in group and wanting to be an individual at the same time as well.  I will come to this later.
I worked for quite a few years in advertisement, which I liked but not enough. After some time I started to feel limited, even a bit frustrated. Creativity in commercial communication is very direct(ed) and I longed for far more freedom. Not only of expression but just pure freedom.
So I picked up painting and drawing again in my free time. This gave me so much joy and satisfaction and more important a sense of belonging that I decided to start all over again and to −finally- shed my upbringing (as far as you can) and to study Art.

wall paper private home, 2002

disneyfication drawings, 2003

At the same time I met my Italian partner. I decided to sell everything I got and I moved to Italy. For me a lucky combination. This sounds far more romantic than it was. It was a necessary move for me. I could not see me doing work in advertisement for the rest of my life.
Meeting my partner is one of those extreme fortunate, just at the right time, coincidences. It gave me one more −very pleasant- reason to pursuit what I really wanted to do with my life. To create a clean cut with my former life.