Italian conceptual artist Giuseppe Stampone admits he is “neither a drawer nor a painter”, preferring instead the epithet “intelligent photocopier”. And copy he does, prolifically, appropriating ephemeral images from the internet, iconic pictures from pop culture and works of classical art, and transferring them to paper using a ballpoint pen. It is a time-consuming and painstaking process that nevertheless elicits physical pleasure. By transcribing their content in excruciating detail, Stampone is challenging the meaning of the original images, but more than that, he is manifesting political action: by stretching out time, the artist is purposefully disobeying the speed of the digital age we live in. Drawing from his own experiences, Stampone’s work tackles an array of international social and political issues such as immigration and colonialism, placing ethical commitment before aesthetics and political activism before neutrality in order to take a stance. Continue reading »