You never could imagine to meet an Italian artist who is leading an art exhibition in two different locations in one time but if you meet Stefano La Rocca, well, it happens.
Stefano La Rocca, 55 years old, born in Rome, at the moment, in Bangkok is keeping two exhibitions at Jedi and L'On Bangkok, two locations whose spirit has different faces and functions.
We know that you studied Architecture. When did you decide to pursue your specific career as an artist?
In truth, I have always painted or drawn ever since I was very young. I believe this is my true talent, the mission that life entrusted to me. What really pushed me to change, however, was the fact that I was unhappy and that my body was showing signs of distress. I worked until midnight and suffered from back pain and insomnia. Then, after the third company dissolved because my partners were arguing over financial redistribution, I decided to leave everything behind and follow my dreams of traveling and painting and now I thank them for that.
How important has the element of “travel” been, and still is, in your Art?
Extremely important. It opened my eyes to the magic of life and to the infinite possibilities we have when we overcome our fears and limits. Traveling is a training in learning from diversity and from constant change. In fact, this is also reflected in my latest works, in which I am developing the concept of finding harmony by working with other people and stepping outside one’s own ego—because the result is always something different.
We know that you are Buddhist and practice Nichiren Buddhism, today spread by Soka Gakkai, a Buddhist-inspired organization of Japanese origin. How much does this influence your worldview and your Art?
Buddhism, which I understand more as a science than as a religion, is part of me—or rather, it perfectly represents how I already saw life before. That is, everything is one and interconnected, and our perception is very limited. We are much more than we think we are, but our thoughts and what modern society teaches us greatly limit us. Quantum physics explains all of this. In fact, I consider art— as our master Ikeda says— to be a necessary connection with the infinite. Everything that this Buddhism says about art resonates completely with me and is written on my website (
www.stefanolarocca.com).
Not one but two exhibitions are currently taking place simultaneously in Bangkok, at Jedi and L’On Bangkok, which shows how vibrant and forward-looking the Thai capital is. What is the distinctive feature of your Art and your message? And why Bangkok, today?
My Art is born as a dialogue between energy, matter, and human relationships. I am not interested in the artwork as a closed object, but as a living process, capable of transforming itself and transforming those who encounter it. This is precisely the message: to move beyond ego and separation, and rediscover a broader harmony where differences become richness rather than limits. For this reason, in my recent works collaboration and encounters with other people are central—the final artwork is always something that goes beyond the individual. In fact, one of the two exhibitions was entirely dedicated to INTERACTION, meaning that many people painted on the same canvas, and then a small two-person collaboration was created, which the viewer could take home. The other exhibition, instead, was dedicated to abstraction and black-and-white silhouettes, where the viewer is encouraged to create and see what most reflects themselves.
Bangkok today perfectly represents this vision. Thailand seems to me far more open than many other Asian contexts: there is curiosity, openness, a desire to experiment, and less fear of what is new or unconventional. It is a vibrant city, in constant transformation, where tradition and the future naturally coexist. Exhibiting here—and doing so simultaneously in two spaces—means tuning into a collective energy that deeply reflects the meaning of my work and my human and artistic journey.
RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA © Copyright Prima Notizia 24