Behind the Doors with Ink-P

Published in Open Doors Issue N. 3 April 2022

I found Giulia Castagnoli deep in conversation in the back room of FAF: Female Arts in Florence on Borgo San Frediano. I’d come to photograph the prints of doors she’d created with her partner at Ink-P Antonio Fugazzotto and a few minutes later, found myself outside in the sunshine (so as not to disturb the talk going on in the front room) having a conversation about art, creativity and community.

The concept of art galleries are cold and academic, Giulia was explain- ing. There’s no interaction, no com- munity, no conversation. You go into a space… usually white walls, nice lighting, you observe the works, read a few sentences about them on a plaque and you leave. There’s noth- ing wrong with this approach and it has its merits but it’s a shame it has become the only way to experience a painting – something accessible only to a few. It’s a cold, academic style that doesn’t reflect the chaos and or- ganic connections of the creation of a piece of art. At FAF, for one, they are trying to show the process that goes into creating a piece of art with presentation, lectures, discussion groups and workshops that seek to get behind the “closed doors” of the finished, polished project.

So, what’s the story behind the doors? These prints were created at the beginning
of the second lockdown in Italy in the winter of 2020, exactly at the same time the Open Doors Review was born. I saw the prints on social media – the screen through which I watched much of the world for the last two years. As I was preparing the cover of the magazine, Luca Misuri of Wendepunkte offered to transform one of them into the Open Doors Review the cover. With the news of the Russian attack on Ukraine everywhere, he came back with a transformed door, one that reflected the moment we are in now.

Giulia Castagnoli and Antonio Fugazzotto are the owners of Ink-P, a design shop
in Florence that brings together ethically sourced materials with their unique cre- ative design sense honed from travel around the world in Australia, Brazil, and New York. Their ethic is bold & colorful, taking inspiration from nature and natural forms. Giulia is also one of the founding members of FAF – Female Arts in Florence – a cultural association dedicated to showcaseing the artistic creation of women working in arts and crafts. The doors featured throughout the magazine are their creation.