Nicoletta Deva Tortone
The tin box, a biscuit container from Fortnum&Mason, is lined and decorated with a series of original photographs, partly combined in four accordion books, duplicates, writings, sewn together by the author’s sister Rinella with the red thread typical of all the artist’s works. The accordion books feature original prints labelled “My Obsessions” in red thread and translated into various languages (Southern Sotho, Maori, Indonesian, Esperanto, Guaranì, Igbo, etc). The box is the result of the long exuberant process Nicoletta Deva Tortone developed for two years following a discussion about a dummy for a book titled LEI when Donata Pizzi invited the artist to channel her obsessions in a different way.
The genesis of this work is described in a handwritten note by NDT also in the box, together with two single cards, and two double cards, graciously gifted to Collezione Donata Pizzi.
Nicoletta Deva Tortone, born in 1960, started her career of photographer in Turin, working for fashion companies and theatres. In the late ’80s she started focusing her work on the more intimate and personal sides of the human nature, in particular the world of emotions and sensations. Her artworks, where her photographs are manipulated, cut, modified, stitched together with her distinctive red yarn, have been exposed at important art and photography events in Italy. She lives and works in Albenga, Italy.