Ophelie Napoli - Fine Art | Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Show 2022

Ophelie Napoli - Fine Art

"After the studios opened again, I was filled with creative energy to explode my work into a much larger scale and was able to produce most of these ideas."

A view through square shaped holes made out of concrete

What is your graduation project about?

My graduation project examines time through space and considers the wounds of our collective experience that we should always keep in mind while continuously moving forward.

This project is about humanity and our place in our ecosystem, which is, according to me, of parasitical nature. We are in fact, an organism that lives by choking energy supplies off other organisms. Elements of invasiveness, self-destruction and attempts at reparation therefore seep through all of my exhibited pieces.

How do you best like to work?

I best like to work through the process of repetition. There is a certain sense of humility in the frozen gesture that becomes monumental when repeated often enough that I enjoy. Indeed, I often find a meditative aspect in working with multiplicity and through it, I am also able to reach a tension between order and disorder.

Can you tell us about some of the things which inspire you and your work?

My work is inspired by the contrast and coexistence between us humans and the bodily ecosystem that surrounds us. Our containment in architectural structures creates a sense of separateness that I believe is an illusion. For me to see things this way, I like to look at our species from an alien point of view and consider the marks of deep time in space. This makes me reject the idea of permanence in our existence and humbles me with the realisation that all we have is presence.

What have been the highlights of your time at ECA and Edinburgh?

Second and third year at ECA were part of a pre-covid time where I felt a positively careless and free flow of creative energy in my practice. However, every year, Edinburgh brings light to my life as winter turns to spring.

Rope and string hanging between an arch in the ECA sculpture court

How have the events over the past two years affected your work?

During the entirety of my fourth year, when studios were closed, I turned to making small-scale work because of the lack of space to produce big sculpture. This has pushed me to explore all the different formal options that a combination of materials can offer. After the studios opened again, I was filled with creative energy to explode my work into a much larger scale and was able to produce most of these ideas.

Have you got plans for after graduating?

After graduating, I will be spending some time at home in Zürich. This way, I will be able to continue working and simultaneously organise the next step in my artistic journey.

Ophelie Napoli's portfolio page