Four years ago AdrienneRose Gionta was a housewife. Today, the graduating studio art major and three-year divorcee says she turned to art to help her deal with her hardship.
Although she was very creative as a kid, Gionta says she grew up painting and drawing but never considered pursing a career in art until she decided to go back to school.
As a psychology minor, Gionta says the goal of all her works is to create a level of interaction with the viewer.
The Broward Community College transfer has been at FAU since 2005, working at the Boca campus Ritter Art Gallery since her spring semester. After her graduation in May, Gionta and two friends are taking the summer off to travel to Europe and visit Amsterdam and Paris – the first time she’ll be out of the country.
With a love for art and a dream of helping children, Gionta plans to attend grad school and begin a career in art therapy.
Q: What is your medium?
A: I consider myself an installationist. I love to do site-specific works and I’ve done paintings, photography, sculptures and video works. My works are always very personal and interactive.
Q: You started at FAU as a graphic design major, why the change?
A: I did graphic design, then moved to photography and then painting and sculpturing. I had to try everything out until I could find what I’m passionate about. I think my work represents a little bit of everything I’ve done.
Q: In your latest video, “Till I taste myself” you are wearing a wedding dress and decorating your entire left arm with sugar-free icing before licking it off. What were you trying to convey?
A: It was part of the healing process for dealing with my divorce. The video is very formal and shows the left arm on a silver platter, which is like an offering to someone. It has a lot of meanings but I really wanted to let the viewer answer questions in their mind. I enjoy leaving my work up for interpretation – I call it personology.
Q: Where does your inspiration come from?
A: I’m a big people-watcher and my inspiration always comes from my environment. Something will affect me and I’ll have a feeling. My work is very personal and involves the people around me – I try to see the reality of things.
Q: What artists do you admire?
A: Piero Manzoni is my favorite. Several years ago he canned his own shit and sold it. He also autographed people and told them they were art because he believes anything that comes from an artist should be considered art. Piero has really pushed the envelope on the art world and I admire that.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I won a $500 grant to do a project by the end of the semester and I’ve decided to put my name up in lights. I’m going to actually spell my name in neon pink lights on a mobile billboard and take it around with me everywhere I go. I want to see people’s reactions and test Manzoni’s theory that anything done by an artist is art.
Want to see more of Adrienne’s work? Watch her videos and visit her MySpace.