Intersections of Art: Italy
Reflections by Alyssa Brubacher, Social Media and Marketing Director of the UTSC Drama Society.
Alyssa Brubacher, photo courtesy of the artist.
I have always appeared a little culturally vague to people who do not already know my background. My name is Alyssa Brubacher, almost nothing about that name suggests I am Italian at all, let alone that my cultural background and its artistic heritage does indeed play a role in my art practice. If you were to meet me in person I would hazard a guess and say that you might think differently; my hearty laugh, frequent use of my hands when I speak, and tendency to break out my favourite Italian language tracks at Karaoke definitely paint a different picture.
In reality I am a half-Italian (on my mother’s side) Theatre artist from Toronto. From what I know, have been told and have learned through immigration documents my family hails from Palomonte, a small village about 125km south-east of Naples, and Sicily. I spent a lot of time growing up around my Mom’s family so my knowledge of cultural art is as much made up of sources straight from Italy as it is the unique amalgamation of tradition and assimilation that is Italian-Canadian/American existence and the art that comes with it. In essence, Federico Fellini and Martin Scorcese had equal parts influencing my upbringing artistically.
As much of a cliche as it has been made out to be in film and television, family is genuinely important to many people of Italian descent, me included. I see my extended family a lot, and my immediate family and I are quite close. For this reason, and others, when I sat down with my co-writer Abby Kaneko to write our One Act ‘How to Care for Lavender in Winter’ it was important for me to make it a family-centric story. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have the family that I do and I strive to make art that feels accessible to them.
Photo of Christopher Williams as Dad in How to Care for Lavender in Winter, courtesy of the UTSC Drama Society.
Along with my predisposed experience growing up surrounded by many people of Italian descent, I have also put in the work myself to both broaden and deepen my knowledge and understanding of Italy as a country and its artistic heritage. When one thinks of Italian art the cultural imagination might wander to the work of renaissance artists, images of frescos, and works of old architecture tied in with a close relationship to the Catholic Church. All of those imaginings are valid, they are a popular part of not only Italian art history, but European art history. For me, though I appreciate much of this art, I do not often find myself struck with inspiration because of it. On the contrary, much of what inspires me about Italian culture and Italian art has been the work that has reflected the lived experience of the people, what I imagine the reality for my ancestors would have been in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
If there is one artist in my years of research and learning that has stood out and made me recontextualize how I could incorporate my culture into my artistic practice it's Pier Paolo Pasolini. The Decameron (1971), Mamma Roma (1962), Accattone (1961) - his films were instrumental in displaying just how one could marry the traditions of their youth with a very adult sense of irreverence and political awareness. Since the age of 15 his work in film has remained a type guiding force for me in my art practice.
It does bear stating though that as much as it is a privilege to feel in tune enough with my cultural identity to include it in my art, it also presents its challenges. I want to make art that is reflective of the present moment we’re living in, but in order to do so and still allow my background to inspire and guide me I must contend with Italy’s history of colonialism and continued issues with anti-Roma and anti-black racism (you need only gloss over the Racism in Italy Wikipedia page to get a general, albeit imperfect, overview of what I mean). It’s an uncomfortable history (and WW2 is only the tip of the iceberg) but to not continuously acknowledge it is a disservice to myself, Italians of all racial identities who have lived through these experiences, and any future audiences who may view my work. Presenting anything other than the honest truth, or what we know of it, leads to people only getting a sanitized version of history.
As I truly grow into my own as an artist, my culture finds interesting ways to manifest itself in my art. Italy is the location of my newest project I am writing right now (where and what it is about is something for me to know and you to find out as soon as I can mount it). It is my sincere hope that one day I am able to write a piece in Italian and potentially bring a piece of my own to be performed at the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia (the Naples Theatre Festival). As well, I would love to be able to film a movie of my own at Cinecittà. Until then, if I can give a piece of advice to any artist, working in any medium about embracing their culture within their art is - to just do it. Find a way to do it that feels authentic to you. Is it oversimplified, potentially corny advice? Completely, but I think it’s honest. As it is with art making there is always going to be a risk in sharing something that feels personal, but regardless of where you’re from incorporating cultural traditions, cultural art that you know and have lived with your entire life only makes your art more authentic to YOU the artist. I think sharing knowledge with others about our cultural background only makes us more connected, more empathetic, and better people more willing to care for one another.
