Who/What/When/Where
(There is no Why)“I make things when I’m anxious. I’m anxious a lot.”
Marco Romantini was/is/most likely continues to be at time of reading a Milwaukee Artist, activist, and community arts educator focusing on his self-created medium of Parallax Sculptures–segmented illustrations cut out and mounted to armature wire frames, creating a sort of two and a half dimensional sculptural illustration with layers of depth and detail to be explored by the viewer. Subsequently, his work explores ideas of transition, liminal spaces, and shifting perspective, creating intimate works of flowing surrealism that shift and bend with the position of the viewer as it invites them to lean in and explore the piece.
Romantini’s work reflects a worldview of a somewhat jokingly self-proclaimed “Zen Nihilist,” his work deals with his own relationship with existential angst, mental health, and the search for meaning natural cycles of growth and decay.
This ideology informs Romantini’s work as a humanist, driving him to work as an arts educator for local nonprofits Artists Working in Education and Artworks for Milwaukee. Additionally, he runs a small fundraising operation called The Forget-Them-Not Flower Drive that “sells” unique flower sculptures in exchange for donations to local bail relief funds.
Writing artist statements makes him uncomfortable and he loves you very much.
All works are mixed media (primarly ink and colored pencil) on bristol and mounted to wooden bases with armiture wire.