Geneva-based illustrator, Albertine has always refined her characteristic line. First through her drawings for the Geneva School of Decorative Arts, then very quickly for L’Hebdo, Femina, Bilan and other press pillars and on the pages of children’s books, notably in artistic duo with her husband Germano Zullo, author and writer. In fact, last year, this work was marked by the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, considered a Nobel Prize for children’s literature. But who is hiding behind these so expressive faces? Meeting with the artist in his workshop in Dardagny.
NOW – You were born a hundred meters from the house where you live and work today. Why this attachment to Dardagny, a town in the Geneva countryside?
A fanciful world is revealed in the course of the boards and plaster casts, his new passion. And all my family lives here too, my aunt is a bookseller, my mother is a ceramist, my cousins. My grandmother, with whom I spent a lot of time, also lived here. And I like the silence, the peace and quiet, and I can work at home without having to move to a room.
NOW – More broadly, what are the key places in Geneva in your artistic career?
When I was a little girl, it was mostly the movie theaters like the Plaza, the Broadway, the Hollywood, or the Alhambra, which I visited a lot with my father, an assistant director for television programs. Then came L’Usine, the Rhino, L’Ilot 13 to listen to concerts and the rue Necker where I studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs. Finally, I would mention Carouge, which is a place that trusted me very early on through different collaborations and exhibitions. I had wonderful encounters with gallery owners, including Maya Guidi of the eponymous place or Véronique Philippe-Gache of Ligne Treize. And then, I buy my shoes and some clothes in Carouge! For me, the Sardinian city has another spirit, it is very close to Geneva, but has its own atmosphere, a bit like the Marais in Paris at a certain time.
NOW – Going back to your background, you’ve always drawn, but was there a concrete moment when you said to yourself “This is it, now I’m an artist”?
I will say from the first orders and drawings for the press. I quickly accepted very diverse and varied requests, which gave me this energy and determination. That said, I was never afraid to be an artist or to tell myself that I was going to become an illustrator and do something with my hands, probably because I had this unconscious conviction… maybe even reckless. Finally, this creative energy carried me more than the fear of not earning a living or the worry for the future! Today, I feel very privileged to have this freedom, I want to have fun, to have the fullest and most enthusiastic days possible, to really live life because time goes by too fast. But I still have the confidence of the little girl I was, this enthusiasm, a little naive perhaps, but also this deep commitment to the work that keeps me going.
NOW – Is it possible to become an artist or is it an innate notion that just ends up taking shape over time?
I didn’t ask myself this question, but I asked it of Germano, who had been writing since he was a child, but who couldn’t define himself, or at least recognize himself, as a writer. One day, I told him: “You are a writer, assume it, live it as such”. Being an artist encompasses many things, but to say so means to accept it, to defend it and to live it fully. In other words, to make it your religion.
NOW – For an artist, style is a trademark that allows identification. How did you develop yours?
At a certain point I found what could be called a style, or at least a way of drawing, and the daily practice afterwards allowed me to accentuate this style. With time, I became recognizable for this type of line, which gives a great strength and anchors roots. As I have never interrupted my work, I have evolved in this identifiable way, even if my work is changing. For example, before my characters did not have eyes or noses, while now they have faces with different expressions, bodies, feet. The work of an artist is never disconnected from him, we draw the models that resemble us. So my style evolves, changes with my life and the highlights of my life, such as strong emotions, anger, joys, sorrows, moments of doubt.
NOW – How does your creative process work?
I start with a theme, related to something I have heard or seen. I look at a lot of things on the internet, I look at other people’s drawings, I analyze works of art, both contemporary and older, I listen to the radio a lot, especially to programs about writers and artists who have had extraordinary lives. I am fed by what people say! Then, from my initial subject, I begin to make a series of works that will be linked by their starting point. I visualize more or less the final result, but as I create, things change, I play with the colors and the composition. When I draw, I have a very conscious part, but also a part that I don’t really control, a part of mystery, which makes me go back to it!
NOW – Does your approach change depending on the medium you use?
I don’t think so, but I try to tame a material. Sometimes I mess up until I manage to find a trick and get hold of the technique. I like to branch out and not stop with what I have learned, to constantly try new things. Changing pencils or tools also allows me to make mistakes and to experiment, which leads to discoveries. At the moment, I am working on plaster casts, composing false still lifes with strange objects of all kinds. There are some lewd shapes, but I don’t know the final result yet!
NOW – You have already mentioned your husband, the author Germano Zullo, with whom you regularly work as a duo. What is it like to be two artists working in the same house?
We have two separate work spaces, Germano occupies the second floor, while I have set up my studio on the first floor. During the day, we don’t see each other. He concentrates, reads aloud, does an extremely cerebral work at all times and lives in his head. I live in my world. When we work on a common project we call each other, otherwise we meet around the dining table like lovers.
NOW – How did you start your collaboration on the children’s books?
When we met Germano and I, I already wanted to create small books with a few sentences and then print them in silkscreen. So at the beginning, I asked him to find me a title on the cover for these micro-publishing books. Then one day we saw a contest to create a children’s book, so we invented our first story together and sent in some plates. We didn’t win, but in the jury group sat Francine Bouchet, founder of the publishing house, La Joie de lire. She contacted us afterwards and we started our collaboration. Thus, with Germano, we continued to create stories together, learning, from book to book, how an illustrator and an author work together to link text and image.
NOW – Do you have any current projects?
Yes, we are working on a book called The Blue Book, which I will finish in November. Otherwise, we just released Since the Monsters a few days ago.
NOW – Your work is presented at the Musée de Carouge until December 19. You had carte blanche for this exhibition, what is the guideline for Apparition?
On this occasion, I wanted to work on the theme of the contemplation of beings who seek a form of solitude in spaces of nature, like lakes, gardens, parks, forests. Probably because I too like this silence. I refuse a bit this world that distances us, that fragments us by the speed and the multitude of tasks that we must accomplish in a day. I want to be more aware of existence and to have moments to reflect and let myself live. After this melancholic beginning, I made a yellow shape appear, which gave the name to the exhibition. For me, it represents a door to something optimistic, to a higher quest, perhaps also the desire to no longer fear death. I composed this project with a lot of truth and sincerity, I tried to bring the visitors towards a wonder of the color, towards a reflection and beautiful and deep sensations, but now this exhibition does not belong to me any more, it belongs to those who look at it.
Practical information:
Apparition of Albertine : from September 16 to December 19, 2021
Carouge Museum.
Place de Sardaigne 2, 1227 Carouge
Depuis que les Monstres…
Germano Zullo & Albertine
Marta et la bicyclette
Germano Zullo & Albertine
Roberto & Gélatine,
Germano Zullo & Albertine