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Milan 2013 - Alessandro Checchi

Alessandro Checchi

Espressioni di caffè, 2013

Serie fotografica

Il caffè è una espressione. In Africa il caffè è un’espressione economica per i tanti coltivatori e, per i giovani e i bambini di questo grande continente, il caffè è l’espressione del futuro. In quest’opera ho rappresentato tre espressioni. La prima foto rappresenta il sorriso. Il sorriso è la prima cosa che mi viene in mente pensando al caffè perché è in grado di tirarmi su in una giornata buia. La seconda foto rappresenta lo sguardo. Questa foto deve ricordare i tanti bambini sfruttati nelle piantagioni di caffè e deve rendere viva la speranza di un mondo senza sfruttamento. La terza foto rappresenta il sogno. Il sogno di poter avere un futuro migliore e di migliorare le condizioni di vita del popolo africano anche attraverso la produzione di caffè. Dobbiamo vedere la prima foto con felicità, la seconda con consapevolezza, la terza ad occhi chiusi.

Interview

Alessandro Cecchi winner of the Coffee Art Project Milan 2013 interpreted the concept of coffee with a conceptual piece which represents a small boy and his future. The artist addresses each section to each expression of coffee. The smile represents the joy of life, the look induces people to stop and think of other people that do not have accessibility to clean drinking water. The last expression represents the dream. The dream of having a better life and a better future.

Alessandro is born in Perugia in 1995. As a very young talent, he loves music and he started writing his rap songs from a very young age. His major interest, though, has always been photography and film production.

The artist has been interviewed by the Coffee Art Project Curator and he has given some really interesting information about his life and artistic experience.

INTERVIEW WITH Alessandro Checchi

Q. When do you start creating art? What is your medium of choice?

A. In mind I have always created art. I have been brought up in an environment where exhibitions, paintings and festival were implemented in my daily life. I started to be fascinated by street art during my high school. In the last few years, though, I have been dedicating my art to photography.

Q. Describe yourself in 3 words. If you can!

A. Creative, extrovert and Introvert at the same time

Q. What does your art represent in general?

A. With my art I would like to represent the world in its real identity, rawness, beauty, sadness and happiness, those amazing emotions that are incorporated in each individual’s lives.

Q. What inspires you the most?

A. I do not have anything in particular that inspires me. The only thing I go with is my mind is: is inspired?

Q. What do you feel when your creativity starts flowing?

A. When I feel my creativity quickly embracing me, I feel a really big, incredible and unique emotion coming from inside. I feel realised and alive. It seems like that I cannot stop myself to create. As I am quite a determined person, I always find methods to realise my idea.

Q. How do you connect coffee to art?

A. Coffee is my inspiration and when I need to create, it helps me to wake up, to feel alive. Coffee is the perfect beverage which makes happy in sad days. Sometimes I drink it too much that I cannot even sleep

Q. What did you feel during the creation process?

A. During my creative process I feel joy for the creation of the artwork itself, but at the same time I feel anxious because I am afraid of not achieving what I have in mind. Thanks to this emotional mix my best creations get produced.

Q. What would you like to do in your future apart being an artist? Do you have any other dreams?

A. In my future, I foresee a perfect balance between life style and art. I would like to be a film director and be able to live in a tropical island, without stress and just with the amazing creation of my films

Q. How does it feel to be the winner of The CAP Milan 2014?

A. Winning the Coffee Art Project Milan made me feel really good. I felt very special. That day, I felt an amazing and indescribable sensation, because it was very unexpected. In the contest, the other participants were older than me and more experienced. This episode made me realise that I should continue to take photographs and achieve proficiency in this field.

Q. Do you have a favourite coffee beverage? If so where do you enjoy drinking it? Do you have a favourite café?

A. I love the italian drink called “Sorbetto al Caffe’”. Yet, the best coffee which wakes me up in the morning is a good espresso. In the city where I live at the moment, my favorite coffee shop is Cafe’ Doria.

Q. Do you feel that artists have the power to change the lives of African communities? If so, how?

A. I believe that artists can change people’s lives, mostly people who are not so fortunate as we are. This happens because art can touch people deeply and people are able to forget for a moment all the issues that they have been dealing with in life. Creating a piece of artwork allows each individual to be able to free their selves. In addition I believe that the creation of artistic projects connected to charity purposes, specifically for communities in Africa, can create the right joint between liberating and communicating very strong messages.

Q. If you could do one thing to improve the world, what would it be?

A. If I have to explain what I have in mind, the answer will be very complex. Firstly, I would like to abolish all the currencies as I believe that without tangible money the world will work better. Secondly, I would like to put in jail, people who are taking advantage from others. I would love to help communities in other poorest countries and I would re-build their economy without blackmail. I would probably abolish the World Cup for all the issues that it is causing: over expenditure, death and displacement. I would provide water, education and hospitals to improve people’s lives in underdeveloped countries. In conclusion, I will build less houses and I will plant new trees.

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