Delta NA

Elephants roaming, horses galloping, howling wolves, castles and sea creatures with the landscape of the cosmos enveloping a subtle and calming and ambiguous view of life on earth. There is a metaphysical as well as a phycological perspective, with altered states of dreams and reality in these paintings by artist duo Delta NA, the fragmented reality in the compositions appears structured and balanced and at the same time, free and spirited. Yet, the whole narrative is a symbolic portrayal of life’s most profound feelings and values, the formal elements of their artworks could represent peripheral meanings, the forms and colours, animals and figures which will fill the works will carry a particular symbolism however, all unconscious. There is a clear classic Expressionism within the paintings organised in almost a juxtaposition of pastel colours, and never using black much like Monet, with subtle subdued shades, however, the colours appear to represent different meanings. Delta NA explains “Everything is a story under their brushes” and they never know how it is going to develop, they avoid any concept or idea before they start, an artwork may take weeks or months, “because it grows step by step whilst we are painting” they explain ” there is not a plan” it is the fruit of their collaboration and takes a life during the process, they emphasise.

I came across the duo Delta NA, artists Neva Epoque and Alessandro Vignola via word of mouth when they introduced themselves to me, I have always been intrigued by the symbiosis of artists working together and what that entails, whether it’s Gilbert and George who claim they came together because George was the only one who could understand Gilbert when he spoke English, or Inez and Vinoodh who met whilst studying fashion design and Mert and Marcus pioneers in the use of digital manipulation in their fashion photographs. Delta NA has a unique identity in as such that they were both professional psychologists for many years and were teaching themselves and practising art during the breaks between patients they tell me. They describe a summer holiday around northern Europe together, with a small backpack and tent. “We were feeling so free and happy and walking along the ocean in Spain, we saw a wonderful art gallery,” they describe how they were both hit by an awareness that they both wanted to be artists, describing it as a lighting bolt, to change their lives, and they couldn’t ignore the voices and started to put an effort into their art. Whilst they were working as therapists, they were always visiting museums and art shows because of their love of art, artists like Lucio Fontana, Matisse and Renoir and Dali, as well as visiting the homes of Picasso, Van Gogh, De Chirico and Modigliani. However, they stopped visiting galleries and art museums to find their own voice once they decided and started to become serious artists.

Moving to Los Angeles for three years, influenced their perception of colours and abstract art. The  fusions of North American and South American art in the same city, opened their minds, they tell me. Additional inspirations include saints and prophets from all religions, which often appear in their paintings, “Many people don’t understand why!” Delta NA exclaims “they were able to do great things in their lives, miracles and incredible proof of strength,” . When I asked them what was really behind their work and what they wanted to convey? “An infinite dream that pervades reality,” they explain. To love an artwork, Delta NA emphasises “It must take your breath in each part, the more you look the more you should discover.” As both of them are self-taught artists, they are discovering techniques through experimentation, curiosity and going through a process out of the sheer enjoyment of learning and “seeking an unreachable perfection” they tell me. Both are graduates in Psychology from the University of Torino, in Italy, “We feel it was a great opportunity to study the human deepness”. When I asked how their upbringing impacted their art? There is a profound positivity when they tell me, that it was very helpful, “It gave us the key to dig into our souls and stimulated the interest in the human subconscious.”

The relationship between Neva and Alessandro is a harmony, they work together on all their artworks, and one takes over from the other defining it as “two hearts beating at the same rhythm”, they work simultaneously, representing yin and yang, female and male, who see the world in different ways, however after many years of working together, there is an emotional fusion and technique in their paintings as they explore the relationship between humanity and the complex relationship we have with the universe, nature and reality. Delta NA recount an achievement with a commissioned portrait, they decided to go beyond the figurative representation, whilst illustrating the face, they describe seeing many things coming out of the canvas as if the painting was saying something to them. “After many weeks we were in front of a very intense artwork that was guiding us into the multiple facets of the collector’s personality, revealing part of her that we didn’t even know” calling the artwork “Unconventional Portrait” as there was almost no trace of her face in the painting but it was a portrait. “We considered it magic”. When Delta NA showed the painting to the collector she was amazed and charmed by its intensity, they tell me. “The fact that she could see the magic too and recognised herself in the painting was a great achievement” and  “she liked it so much that she commissioned another one for her husband”. “We always dig more, to find a deeper dimension where every element is unexpected, real and unreal at the same time.” Describing how they enjoy creating a dialogue between abstract and figurative.

They are currently working on an upcoming exhibition at Steams Gallery in Hong Kong, MDP Gallery, Kamakura, Japan and Venus Gallery in Seoul. 

Interview: Antoinette Haselhorst