* photographer @raoulmanuelschnell
Welcome!
Understanding the "Outsider"
An outsider artist is typically a self-taught talent whose work, often created in isolation, rarely sees public exhibition or sale during their lifetime. Yet, it's precisely this disconnect from the mainstream art world that often lends their creations an intriguing mystery and draws significant interest from beyond their personal sphere.
Embracing the Unanswered.
Flavia Testa's narrative defies simple categorization; it's a testament to living with profound questions. Her journey began as a newborn, found in a box in 1970s Tehran, before being adopted into an Italian family by an architect and his wife. Her upbringing was a tapestry of global travel with her UN parents, constantly moving, always observing and absorbing. This early life, rich in unknowns, profoundly shaped her artistic voice, cultivating a unique ability to embrace complexity and raw emotion and multiple languages and layers.
Art as Reflection and Provocation
Testa's art mirrors her life – a canvas of unvarnished honesty and fearless communication. It's a compelling fusion of raw vulnerability and potent expression, oscillating between moments of lightness and profound depth, yet consistently provocative. Her work challenges viewers to venture into spaces where certainty dissolves, revealing the inherent beauty within the unanswered. Art is both a powerful force and a protective fortress, simultaneously safeguarding and revealing the essence of our lives.
Main mediums are ink, paint, pencil. Sometimes also photography
accompanied by elements of linguistics, symbols, signs, words,
images in her larger than life creations that are made for gallery
shows and events.
Flavia enjoys selling her art online through social media and
digital formats. Her work can be in spaces and places far and wide
at a reasonable price. She has spear-headed her own online art
calls that are creative and unique, to sell and collaborate with
her fans and collectors. Flavia believes that art should be
accessible and available to as many people as possible,
everywhere.
Iranian born, Italian Canadian artist Flavia Testa works both in
Canada and Italy.