A passion born for fun, which everyone can admire on his Instagram profile. Ema Stokholma she is not just a beloved radio presenter – after all, she writes it herself: “painter, writer, singer, TV presenter, DJ and big feet”. We met her at the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival and, in a completely relaxed context, we chatted with her talking about a pastime that has (also) become part of her profession: the art.
Music is the soundtrack of your daily life but those who follow you on social media are well aware of the digital art gallery you have created. How did this idea come about?
I like this definition, I like “digital art gallery” – it seems super modern. I must say that it was born as a joke one afternoon when, together with an ex-boyfriend of mine, I had painted a Mona Lisa and we had imagined it as if it were in the Simpsons museum, so we had “simpsonized” it. After some time, a friend who works a lot on social media came to my house – it was 2016, so the beginning of the reign of social media – and he told me: but why don’t you paint what you see? So I thought about it and said to myself: okay, let’s try. And so I started for fun, first with pen and pencil; then, little by little, it became a passion to the point that I don’t think about anything else. Is absurd!
From a photographic shot to the canvas: was the transition spontaneous?
I would like to become an artist one day, but for now I always start from a photo. I must admit that I experience it a bit as a limit, it’s as if I couldn’t bring out something that doesn’t exist, that comes from my imagination. That, for me, would be a goal! Little by little I hope to succeed, in the meantime I copy reality, I modify it and maybe one day I’ll be able to put a dream on canvas. I have to find true inspiration.
Is there a work or artist you are particularly attached to?
I go crazy for Salvador Dali! I am someone who suffers from Stendhal syndrome. It happens to me in every museum I go to and it happened to me in front of Dalì’s Christ on the Cross and also with the Customs Officer (nickname of Henri Rousseau, one of the most important artists of the nineteenth century, considered one of the first naive artists in the history of art ), which I had studied as a child. I admit that seeing that jungle in person was a real shock for me. And what can I say, I love Marina Abramovic.
Of course, they are universes that are very distant from each other…
Yes, true, but still very particular. And in the end it’s the effect a work of art or performance has on you when you see it live. What stays with you is absurd, it’s a very strong thing that you carry with you throughout your life. Or at least, this happened to me.
Among your paintings there are several self-portraits. What relationship do you have with your image?
Not always beautiful. Sometimes I would like to avoid mirrors in the house but not because I have something with myself, simply because it bothers me to always see myself. In the end, if you think about it, social media exposes us a lot and if you are there watching and rewatching the stories, and the more you look at yourself the less interesting you find yourself, this in my case…
So you don’t keep your portraits hanging at home?
No, in my house there are no portraits of me just as there are not many mirrors, just the ones necessary for daily life. And I also avoid photographs. In short, I avoid putting my image everywhere.
Will you focus on anything else through painting?
Yes, I prefer buildings, houses and details of houses. In short, everyday life…
At the cinema, these days, there is Inside Out 2 – the animated film that allows the viewer to identify their emotions and face them. What are the emotions that accompany you in your working and private life?
In my private life sometimes anger but also anxiety, even if I try to experience healthy anxiety, if it exists! This film, just like the first, can teach a lot. I remember that my psychologist at the time recommended the first one to me and I must say that it was an epiphany. Then there is definitely fear in my life. I’m a huge wimp, I’m afraid of many things, but at the same time I have a lot of fun so I experience joy. Yes, joy, without a doubt.
www.emastokholma.art
I am a journalist and author. I work between traditional publishing, online and television, and in what I do listening, comparison and research are fundamental. I am passionate and curious about everything that is art, culture and entertainment. Whether it’s an interview, a live broadcast, a podcast or a TV format, I’m interested in telling and making known stories, paths and creations. Among my collaborations are Artribune, Cinecittà News Video and Luce Social Club (on Sky Arte).
