10 Questions with Vivian Cavalieri
Vivian Cavalieri - Portrait
Vivian Cavalieri is a visual artist based in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. Her three-dimensional miniature scenes prompt conversations on a range of global issues, including immigration and social justice. Her work has appeared in numerous exhibitions in the US and abroad, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Athens. Six of her assemblages were included in WOVEN 2023, curated by Ciara Hambly of the Hambly & Hambly Gallery in Northern Ireland. After six weeks at the Sasse Museum in Los Angeles, the exhibit traveled to France. A documentary on the French portion of the exhibition will be released by French filmmaker Lara Laigneau. Cavalieri was short-listed for the 2024 John Richardson French Residency Award. Her art is featured in the December 2023 issue of Suboart and the February 2024 issue of Art Seen. In March 2024, a photograph of one of her assemblages was displayed in the Hyde Park station of London’s underground, while other assemblages were on exhibit in Barcelona and Northern Ireland. Cavalieri graduated from Harvard University (BA, Fine Arts) and the New York University School of Law.
www.viviancavalieri.com | @vc_artworks_
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I am a conceptual artist whose structured miniature scenes unexpectedly invite conversations on topics such as immigration, climate change, and social justice. My 3D mixed media assemblages reflect my status as a “third culture child,” mingling the distinct cultures of Manhattan and Venice. My international upbringing predisposes me to select universal topics; my Venetian heritage heavily influences my palette and sense of design.
I frequently use segments of necklaces I design, juxtaposing these personal creations against impersonal manufactured items, which, when taken together, make a personal statement. Construction entails various techniques, including sewing, woodworking, and photo manipulation.
I limit the scale of my works and set museum glass in a deep custom frame that reaches out to embrace the viewer. The clarity of museum glass creates the illusion that the viewer is present at the scene, encouraging communication, while the shape of the frame keeps the conversation private.” - Vivian Cavalieri
The Diner (Coming to America), mixed media, 12.5” x 18.75” x 4” © Vivian Cavalieri
INTERVIEW
First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you become interested in art?
I grew up in Manhattan with an American-born mother and a Venetian father, speaking both English and Italian. Many childhood summers were spent in Venice at the beach, visiting churches and museums, and with relatives, especially with my father's cousin, the painter Laura Padoa. Looking back, I now realize how much those visits formed my sense of style and self.
European art and antiques-filled our New York apartment, and from the time I was three years old, each Saturday, my father would take me to visit a gallery or museum. Resistant at first, I came to appreciate these weekend mornings absorbing works of art and culture. Between my home life and my frequent visits to Venice, I was heavily influenced by art and chose to major in art history in college.
What inspired you to transition from studying art history to pursuing law, and how has this unique background influenced your approach to creating art?
At school, I was exposed to only two forms of art — painting and drawing. Thinking I had no artistic talent because I could not do either well, I studied art history as an avocation, and upon graduating from college, I drifted into law school. I then spent the next 20 years at law firms in New York and Washington, DC, representing nonprofits. As an attorney, I honed my writing skills, which now enable me to articulate key aspects of my creative process and my themes. Those years spent imposing order on chaos have their parallel in my current art process, creating a highly structured artwork from disparate, unrelated elements.
What Price Silence?, mixed media, 16” x 12” x 4" © Vivian Cavalieri
Your time spent in Venice, where your father was from, seems to be another great influence on your work. Can you tell us more about it?
Venice was and remains a powerful influence on my life and on my art. The city's magical, almost unreal beauty and its ornate, ebullient style was omnipresent — not only during my visits but every evening in New York as our flatware, glasses and lamps were Venetian. My frequent trips to Venice cemented my deep affection for that city, and a strong bond remains to this day.
I feel at home the moment I set foot there. My Venetian-born father is now buried beside his parents in the Cimitero Ebraico on the Lido (a UN World Heritage site), the paintings of my father's cousin Laura still hang in a popular restaurant near the Rialto (alla Madonna), and I look forward to every opportunity to spend time with my Venetian relatives.
After leaving the practice of law, I began designing multi-strand necklaces, unconsciously mirroring the opulent and joyful Venetian style. My multi-strand necklace designs are reminiscent of the torsades so prevalent in Venice when I was young. While those were composed of ten or more twisted strands of identical, small Murano glass beads, I incorporated other materials, including amber, abalone, semiprecious stones, and freshwater pearls. In memory of my father, each necklace included at least one bead of Murano glass. Ten years later, when large necklaces were no longer in style, and I found myself unsatisfied creating simpler single-strand necklaces, I transferred my process and approach to a different medium, using necklaces still in inventory in conceptual mixed media assemblages.
As with my necklace designs, my assemblages rarely rely on symmetry but achieve balance through careful juxtaposition of color, form, and texture. Here, too, Venetian style shines through. I consciously create an attractive scene so viewers will approach and hear what I have to say. Similarly, although inspired by a serious theme — say, concern over light pollution or climate change — I avoid preaching, preferring to make my point through gentle humor. In that way, I encourage even difficult conversations between the art and its viewers without imposing my viewpoint on them.
I dedicate substantial amounts of time selecting the precise color and shades used. To preserve the color intensity in my assemblages, I frame them with museum glass. Not surprisingly, my palette has been described as "Italianate".
Can you walk us through your creative process when working on a new assemblage? How do you decide on the materials and themes to incorporate?
I first select a necklace segment and consider what feeling its color and texture inspire. From this, I derive a theme and an initial design. I dedicate a lot of time to selecting the materials to add. In many instances, the items have a symbolic or deeper meaning, as with the miniature chairs in Second Chances and Transformations (from Bibendum to the Michelin Man). Those seeking details can find them on exhibition signage, in my newsletters, and/or on my website.
I rely heavily on high-quality dollhouse miniatures and lush textured fabrics because they pair well with the rich components in the necklace segments. When I want to include animals, I seek out realistic models, even for surrealistic scenes. My studio houses a large inventory of these and a wide range of mirrors, artboards, paints, and other craft items.
On the Rocks, mixed media, 8.5” x 12” x 4” © Vivian Cavalieri
Born Free, mixed media, 10” x 17” x 4” © Vivian Cavalieri
What themes or concepts do you often explore in your artwork, and are there any recurring motifs or symbols that hold personal significance for you?
As the daughter of an immigrant, I am keenly aware of the worldwide conversations regarding immigration. I owe my existence to the sanctuary my father found in the US during World War II, and I try to encourage compassion for those who desperately seek a better, safer existence.
Other facets of social justice appear frequently in my work as well. As a woman, I am aware of the struggle for recognition faced not only by women but by all those treated as second-class citizens or, worse, sub-human. My art encourages conversations on the commonalities we share, both the joys we experience and the challenges we face.
With an art studio on an island overlooking our oyster farm, I am keenly aware of the natural world and how humans affect it. Climate change, pollution, and human interactions with other species are never far from my mind.
Have any particular artists, movements, or historical periods significantly influenced your work?
The works of Joseph Cornell heavily influenced my decision to create small-scale assemblages within a contained space. Many of my miniature scenes are symbolic, and frequently an item chosen for a scene itself has a particular meaning. In this respect, my work follows in the ancient tradition of embedding hidden messages in art.
In what ways do you seek to engage with your audience through your art? Do you have specific messages or emotions you hope to convey through your creations?
Much conceptual art is so large or so powerful that a viewer is unable or unlikely to want to take it home. I design assemblages people will want to place on their walls where it remains a constant reminder of the topic it addresses.
War & Peace (Ivy & Orchids), mixed media, 18” x 22” x 4” © Vivian Cavalieri
Can you discuss a piece of your artwork that challenged you creatively or conceptually? How did you overcome any obstacles or doubts during the artistic process?
With respect to theme, when research reveals a topic is far more complex than I initially realized and that, therefore, my original design will not work, I either modify the way I approach the topic — selecting, for example, a different main character — or set aside the topic entirely until I can conceive a design that treats the subject fairly and accurately.
With respect to process, the shift from designing necklaces to creating miniature scenes required me to learn new skills, forced me to limit my designs to the custom frame, and required me to consider the laws of gravity. While I have been open to learning new skills such as woodworking and sewing, the restrictions imposed by the depth of the frame and the laws of gravity have often required adjustments to my original concept.
When I sense a design is not working, I set it aside for a few days. If I remain unable to decide why it is not working, I ask friends and family to articulate their thoughts on it.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals for your career as an artist? Are there any new directions or projects you're excited to explore in the future?
My goal is to encourage compassion in viewers and a desire to better the world.
And lastly, do you have any new projects or upcoming exhibitions you want to share with our public?
My current series entitled War & Peace highlights the difference between the perception of the intelligence and ability of women in the early 1940s (when the US government sought to recruit them in the war effort) and the early 1950s (when women were expected to return to domestic duties). My starting point for each is a World War II recruiting poster; the only exception is Code Girls because codebreakers were recruited surreptitiously.
From May through September, my assemblages will be on exhibit at the Hill Center Galleries in Washington, DC. In September, I will be exhibiting at Superfine in New York City.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
