We are so excited to be carrying the Naughty, yet Nice line of work by Mauro Baiocco. He first caught our eye when he participated in our May bazaar. We completely fell in love with his work and we were curious to learn more about him. Enjoy our little interview + be sure to check out our full stock of his paintings here. Meet him in person at this weekend’s Art Star Craft Bazaar. He is just as charming in person as his work (I know, how is it possible?!)
Art Star: Tell us a bit about your work. What inspires your imagery?
Mauro Baiocco: I paint silliness. I guess the best way to summarize my process is this: when i was a kid, there was a catch-all, make-no-sense TV line up every Saturday from 2:00-8:00pm called “Super Action Saturdays”. A typical programming will be something like “Plan 9 from Outter Space”, followed by “Spartacus”, “Motra vs. Godzilla” and “Valley of the Dolls” -I know! So awesome! By the end of it, I was so stimulated and exhausted I used to merge all the plots into one long movie and that’s how I remembered it: Hellen Lawson kicked Godzilla’s ass, married Spartacus and helped him liberate the world from zombie aliens (which would be a blockbuster by the way). I try to tap into that old way of seeing things when I’m painting.
AS: Are you formally trained? If so, where did you study?
MB: No formal training at all.
AS: You currently live/work in Brooklyn, correct? Where are you from originally?
MB: Yes, that’s correct. I have been in NYC for 15 years and in downtown Brooklyn since 2006. I’m originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
AS: What are some of your favorite places in NY to go for inspiration?
MB: Hands down the Metropolitan Museum. I have visited so much and still always find some amazing piece that i overlooked before and it blows my mind. And also I keep coming back to the dioramas in the American History Museum. If it is a nice day to be out, i’ll just walk around the city or sit in a park and people watch.
AS: Are you able to focus on your work full time?
MB: I have been painting silliness full time since 2008. Sometimes I even get to pay all my bills!
AS: What materials do you primarily work with?
MB: I enjoy working with bright colors in any shape or form, and I love using vintage photographs and antique frames in my work.
AS: Aside from Art Star, Where else do you show/sell your work?
MB: Right now I’m gearing up to open my booth in the Winter Village at Bryant Park starting October 21st till January 4th. It is a joint venture with a fellow artist friend and we decided to name our holiday shop “Gomez & Petrov” as a wink to our respective latin and Russian origins. Also, I will be participating in One Of A Kind Chicago from December 4th-7th. Busy times are a-coming!
AS: Who are some of your favorite artists?
MB: Oh God, so many I don’t know where to begin! Photography is really dear to my heart and I enjoy a really wide spectrum from Berenice Abbot to Ryan McGingley. I also have a soft spot for pop surrealism, so Gary Baseman, Mia Makila, Anne Faith Nichols, Camille Rose Garcia, Marion Peck, Elizabeth Mcgrath, Jose Rodolfo Loaiza Ontiveros, Alex Gross, the Clayton Brothers, Martha Rich, I mean I can go on and on…