Marianne Charlotte Mylonas-Svikovsky
Biography
MARLO
Marianne Charlotte Mylonas-Svikovsky
Avant-guarde Contemporary art artist and performing poet
I discovered the intimate pleasure and emotional expressiveness when 12 years old at school in Lugano, the Italian speaking part of Switzerlandand. Much later in 1957, when living in Los Angeles completing high School in 2 years only, I choose art at UCLA where personal creativity was already encouraged. It furthered my intuitive alla prima painting, letting inspiration surge from deep in me seizing the essence of that spark of emotion at the origin of my works. Living in various countries for 3 or 4 years at a time (Tunisia, Vienna, Montreal, Greece, Genvea where I settled down), I developped a distant, curious eye for the necessary rapid adaptation, registering in my inner mind atmospheres vibrations, sceneries I would later translate on canvas.When in Rome 4 years, I self-studied the Italian Renaissance masters and Giorgio Vasary's first methodology of art absorbing Italy’s heritage and their mastery of colors and composition to confer meaningfulness to an artwork. When tragedies hit my children in 1981 and ‘84 I discorder poetry, the language of emotions, becoming a prized poet and performer thereof. With painting, they were my auto-therapies that helped me to overcome and find the way to a new meaningfulness in my life, poetry, remaining the weft of my visual poems. Once my eyes opened again to the world around, I became very conscious of emotionally impacting events in the world like the big fires, tzunamis, hurricanes and they became a major theme , especially the Covid-9 Pandemia in all it’s phases and lately the war in Ukraine, liberating a deep down buried, silenced trauma I lived with since born in 1941 in Germany, my parents stuck in the country because borders suddenly closed down, and life closed down as well. Memoryless years followed except for the sounds embeded in me ,As soon as possible in 1945 my mother, native swiss, was able to send me to Swizerland where I stayed for 1 year and 1/2, sole child in an old people’s home without news of my family … abandoned I felt, I realized much later thanks to poetry…I know how it feels do be a refugee...I but life had to go on...I felt compelled to paint all this, to bring testimony through art in all it’s acuity and horror. Just like my swiss grandfather who was a war correspondent during World War I, an art loving family affected through generations by war and displacements. And so my works are seen at major Biennials throughout Italy, with ARTNOW -EAEditore and Mondadori, on ArtsyTVscreen-Art Basel, and Artsy as well as Artnet Visual Voices Int’l in finalization and with WWart books-ArTavita Gallery at Artexpo N.Y. 2018-2020. Reciptient of 40 art prizes (Michelango, Dante, Leonardo, Tiziano etc.) by ARTNOW -EAEDITOR Foundation It and others ; evaluations by the greatest art experts, Artist of the year 2023 in the World contest of ArIavita gallery ; by WOA Lomdon Award for Besti in Creativity and Art, . Galeries are this year : MONAT Gallery Madrid in situ and ARTEO gallery Toronto. both with Artsy and yearly representaton and, for the later, exhibitio n at the Caroussel du Louvre ; Florence Contemporary Art Gallery ; Bienniale of Prticipation in many galleries and in private collections.
Evaluations : Already in 2017 at the Art Prize Milano: Special Prize by Vittorio Sgbarbi : « Your presence confirms creativity as one of the important ways to spread knowledge « and by EAEditore : « The manifested stylistic research, sensibility and technical mastery are the poles of your expressivities’s research ….and in 2022 chosen for thee Prize Vittorio Sgarbi ; Artist of the Year 2023 by Artavita Gallery Calif. U.S.A : Luxembourg Art Prize 2023 Congratualtions for Artistic Merit ; inclusion in the CAM Catalogue of Contemporary Art by Giorgio Mondadori 2023. Florence Contemporary Art Galleray one of the 55 artists chosen worldwide ; Florence Biennale of Art 2023 with ArTTvscreen TV. Artboxy Zürich-Zug, galleries world wide and Zürich Artexpo.
My Visual Poems tell my Story.
What’s your background?
I am an inborn creative in everything I do and discovwred paintingat school in Lugano, Ticino the Italian speaking part of Switzerland where art is present everywherelike in Italy whose people participated in elaboration and construction of the most famous sites like the Vatican in Rome and St. Petersbourg. Painting and art in general remained with me allmy life amongst other professional activities. And when living in Los Angeles 4 years I decided to at art, after two years of High School, at the University of California at Los Angeles UCLA where personal creativity was already encouraged within the various art mouvements introduced. It suited and encouraged my personal creativity that have would probably have been stiffled in a european Beaux Arts school. Much later when living in Rome 4 years, I took advantage of Italy’s immense art heritage and auto-studied the works of the great Italian Renaissance masters, adopting their usage of specific colors and composition to transmit a message, a vision, an atmosphere, color vibrations through lines...to aswell asGiorgio Vasary’s first methodology of art still studied today in art schools. Since then I have never stopped studying art in general in all it’s variety and started exhibiting in 1997 with pre-view presentations of my works sometimes and my poetry readings in the midst of my works with the pre determined accompaniment of young musicians.
What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?
This prize is a great encouragement and honor as well as a challenge to continue and dig in even more into my personal expressiveness always persuing my intuitive art in link with world’s main issues recognized by this prize and confirmed also by other curators evaluations. It is also a challenge to avoid facility but to stick to my own original expressiveness which is finally acknowledged as such, artworks of a specific artist with a different and new vision and the technical means to do so. Galleries are free to choose from for their specific exhibitions. Great artists have changed styles and techniques, art must be left free and alive as long as quality is observed.
What do you think is the role of art in the world today?
The rôle of art is the same as always : Depict beauty in all it’s forms and variety within the limits of descency but also of the darker facts of our world and it’s contradictory issues, as art has always done like religious matters explained, or world impacting events interpreted just as I do often thanks to the appropriate technique, technique only being a means without limits today. Will new art mouvement cristallyse in the near future from the masses of disparate trends and boil down to identyfiable mouvements ? Sometimes classical purists would tend to say that ugliness is a must that has to be promoted; they are sick of beauty. And that art must be without limits... so people can talk about it at cocktails. I think, on the contrary, that art is to be taken very seriously as it will represent our world in future times.
What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?
I think more selection is needed in this after covid period as there is like a frenzy of creativity in all directions that needs a bit of time to reglulate itself. Too much of just about everything and anything. And new artworlds are opening up new horizons, not only single Artists but specifically new cultures with their own history and expressiveness. Will they go in parallel or merge with our art or ours with theirs more then did japanese art for some of our masters ? Quality will make the difference and gallery’s and viewers’choices. Be it not only of those who have the most supporters on Internet because, as everyone knows, there are paid services for that. It is a new challenge for us since the art world is a global story now.
I don’t think that just colors on a big canvas for a big wall can be called works of art particularly if they reproduce the same elements over and over, invented once and reproduced indefinitely in different colors. They are wonderful illustrations, meaningless, needing much time and space that people can estimate which means concrete value and justification for the price just as for other products, maybe satisfying their need for only colorful decorative works and nothing more although colors do have a meaning ! In this case perfect art is a must. People are happy with them and colletiionneurs are sure to make a benefit on them. It is then up to the galeries to determine their policy. Is it facility sometimes even on the part of known artists ? Or artists who have reached fame thanks to massive publicity magnified by paid social media ? In this case is to be seen if they will last.
NFT’s are another story, another possibility for income and notoriety for artists offering the possibility for buyers to have their favorite works with them at all times . Another way to enjoy art that can lead to acquisition or sale on auctions. I have received several proposals.
What are your most significant professional achievements?
It is a big joy and astonishment to recieve this prestigious prize and honor for my artworks among those of so many other artist’s. A challenge and responsability for the future not to fall into facility. Until recently, I just painted for myself, a big joy once the last stroke is given or a big relief when it helped to calm past traumas and a satisfaction when I feel in link with this present world despite my age through my works, feeling useful in contributing to it’s issues through my life’s experiences. It gives me assurance and a feeling of reponsability towards your art experts and others that have been encouraging and motivationg me thanks to the many prizes obtained although with only few sales. Will viewers finally understand, hear my voice, follow me on my solitary, original path. It takes time and preseverance and this Prize certainly helps ; it’s not a race but a cross country tour gaining constant upgrading resulting in fulfilling challenge.
What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?
I hope to have them look with interest at my works, trying to make the effort to understand them in getting out of their confort zone and even admire them, which is actually often the case and maybe relate them to some aspects of their lives as they speak of humanities breathing almost like a reporter does in words just as my swiss grandfather did as war correpondent for the first international press agency, an art and music loving family of interesting origins englobing half of Europe, reason why I chose to settle down in Geneva.
What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?
What can I say concerning the future after a little pause and assesment of where I stand as far as my art is concerned, Should I stop to think about holidays and enjoy life...no, I can’t, art has me in it’s grip for my soit means work and work and seize the challenges along the way. I am now benefitting of various sponsorships, support and discounts and there is a definite upgrading of my art in general which I am proud of and hope to maintain and even increase through even more powerful works, not giving in to facility or short cuts for attaining more notoriety as I think an earned one is a better basis for the future. I am thankful for the many prizes and awards, exhibitions, shows in musuems and at the big art Biennials and full of gratitude towards the curators that have been following and promoting my art and I hope to continue earn their appreciation and challenges by digging in even further into thet depths of my psyche to fetch that spark of emotion at the origin of my works, obeying inspiration’s thrust I physically feel deep in me demanding translation onto canvas through colors and composition, these wonderful colors and gestures that contemporary art generously allows, in total freedom. I wll continue to bring testimony of our worlds impacting events sifting through my experiences in the past having lived war, refugee status, of being a foreigner everywhere, going through opulence and the contrary. loosing a child and illness ofthe of the second and surviving; therefore there will always be life and hope in my works that people feel and appreciate as well as my persoanl perseverance and determination as an artist that encourages them as well.
I have an opportunity to show on screen my major themes, like the covid-19 serie and one on the facets of this war, atmospheres and color vibrations also... I have not seen many artists depiciting these issues. It would be my contribution though art and writing for today and tomorrow. I use my facebook page for supporting contemporary art, this art form that needs attention and an open mind in getting my many « friends » to comment and not just put a like.
More sales are welcome of course, a collector’s appreciation also. In the end after the euphoria of beginnings, life, boils down to a pretty unilateral story in it’s company but with never a minute of boredom or wasted time and the great chance of living with an unending source of joy and accomplishment that creativity offers us.
Everything will come in due time and I shall seize the opportunities confident that they will be the right ones at the right time.
Country Switzerland
Website www.reves-realites.com
