Grace Collage

I don't like talking and even less writing about myself but someone has to do it, so here goes. They say I was born or at least conceived on a local train that perhaps was leaving from the South for Sicily. In any case , in Calabria, a wonderful area surrounded by two seas, close to the Greek myths and winds from North Africa. Perhaps through fate actually close to Mimmo Rotella's home and for years my dear school friend was called Rotella. But apart from this story nothing links me to that artist other than that we were both born in the same town. From when I was a restless, rebellious child I spent the time drawing , writing, and reading adventure stories. Already at the age of nine I was signing myself "Hector" under the influence of distant French relatives and Napoleonic descent (on my mother's side). One part of my genes comes from Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, in the Var area but many years have past and nothing remains except my love for France and, of course, for Italy. As a child of about 12-13 I had my first theatrical experiences and in the school gym I held my first painting exhibition, all works based on a clown. In the circus I had some acrobatic experience but soon gave it up. Then came my second exhibition at the Ceravolo culture centre where a dear female friend from Cagliari was working and I showed African women and Tuareg warriors. I was about 15 years old at that time. From this peaceful period I still have many works, in oils on canvas and on tar paper. In the meantime I made my first trips to Nice, Belgium, Venice and Savona. In 1975 I lived for a period between Naples and Rome and in the following year some time at Vairo, near Parma and then Modena. In 1977 I settled in Florence, but many difficulties forced me to go and live with a friend in Bologna. Together we attended a corse on sculpture and the avant-garde theatre. Later in a serious accident I lost my friend from Bologna and went back alone to Florence. I worked day and night and studied at the Faculty of Science and Mathematical Physics while continuing to paint and write. I decorated my first house in Dada style. I took part in casting for the cinema and theatre roles. In these years I moved to Paris, driven always by strong artistic restlessness. I got to know a great Algerian love, artists of French Nouveau Réalisme and other artistic currents. I lived in Montparnasse and often had mixed exhibitions of my work and wrote a novel set in France.