10 Questions with Flavia Lovatelli
Flavia Lovatelli is a sustainable paper manipulation artist whose elaborate, immersive works transform recycled paper into intricate, dimensional environments. Guided by a deep commitment to material integrity and sustainability, she elevates reclaimed paper into complex compositions that explore texture, structure, light, and shadow. Her practice balances meticulous craftsmanship with conceptual sensitivity, revealing the expressive and transformative potential of a humble, everyday material. Lovatelli’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. In 2025, her work was selected for the South Carolina Biennial at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art, the Shanghai International Paper Art Biennial in China, the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Art Exhibition in Charleston, and the 36th Annual McNeese National Works on Paper at McNeese State University. She has also participated for two consecutive years in both the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and the Smithsonian Craft Show, affirming her presence within both contemporary art and fine craft contexts. Through intricate layering and precise manipulation, Lovatelli creates works that are at once delicate and commanding, inviting viewers into immersive spaces shaped entirely from recycled paper.
Flavia Lovatelli - Portrait | Ph. Jeff Amberg
ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist deeply rooted in sustainability, Flavia Lovatelli draws profound inspiration from the beauty and intricacy of nature, a connection that has been a guiding force throughout her creative journey. Flavia’s work reflects this bond, incorporating natural materials such as fiber, fabric, wood, and paper, all thoughtfully sourced to honor the environment. Through these materials, she aims to capture the organic, delicate, yet enduring qualities that define the natural world.
Cluster of Anemone & Coral, recycled paper, junk mail, shopping receipts, privacy envelopes, magazine paper and plastic straw paper covers, 28 x 48 x 6 in, 2020-2025 © Flavia Lovatelli
INTERVIEW
First, can you tell us about your background and what first inspired you to become an artist?
I don’t think I ever decided to become an artist. I was born one. I’ve been drawing, making, collecting, and imagining for as long as I can remember. I grew up moving between Peru, Italy, France, Spain, and the United States, and everywhere I went, I was creating. Art was never a career choice for me; it was simply how I moved through the world.
You work almost exclusively with recycled paper and reclaimed materials. What drew you to these materials, and what possibilities do they offer that others do not?
I’ve always been attracted to what other people throw away. Paper was my first love, but the real attraction has always been potential. I see a discarded magazine, a plastic bag, or an old piece of packaging and immediately wonder, What could this become? Reclaimed materials come with a history. They’ve already had a life, and I get to give them another one. That makes the work more meaningful to me.
Caught On Tape 2020, Installation - VHS cassette tape, cassette spools, Keurig K-cup pods, styrofoam sheets, loofa sponges and single use plastic bags. 8 x 10 ft, 2021 © Flavia Lovatelli
Sustainability is at the heart of your practice. How do environmental concerns shape both your creative process and the stories you want your work to tell?
Sustainability started instinctively for me and became intentional over time. I’ve always hated waste, especially when something still has life left in it. I want my work to be beautiful enough to draw you in and thoughtful enough to make you stop and reconsider what you throw away. If someone leaves my work thinking twice before buying something disposable, then I’ve accomplished something beyond making a sculpture.
Your works are incredibly detailed and immersive. Could you describe your creative process, from collecting materials to building these intricate installations?
My studio is basically a halfway house for discarded materials. People bring me things, I collect things, and then I wait. I don’t always know what something will become when it enters my studio. The material usually tells me. One piece leads to another. A colour suggests a shape, a shape suggests a texture, and suddenly I’m building an entire environment. It’s a creative domino effect. And when I have absolutely no idea what to make next, I start coiling paper. Eventually, the paper answers me.
Nature is a recurring source of inspiration in your work. How have your experiences exploring the Mediterranean and other natural landscapes influenced your artistic vision?
Nature is in my DNA. I spent my childhood summers in Sardinia, Sicily, and Greece, snorkelling, collecting shells, finding sea urchins, and staring at coral. Then came the forests in fall, collecting chestnuts and wandering through the woods. Those memories never left me. I don’t have to consciously think about nature when I create; it’s already there. The colours, textures, movement, and fragility of those landscapes are embedded in my work.
Anemone XXVI, Recycled paper, 12×13×8 in, 2026 © Flavia Lovatelli
Destrier, Recycled paper, 10×18×10 in, 2026 © Flavia Lovatelli
Switchgrass, Recycled paper, 14×15×5 in, 2026 © Flavia Lovatelli
Spugna, Recycled paper, diameter 15 in, 2026 © Flavia Lovatelli
Many of your sculptures resemble coral reefs, sea anemones, and other organic forms. What do these shapes symbolise for you?
They represent wonder, memory, and fragility. Coral reefs were some of the most magical things I encountered as a child, so recreating them brings me back to those moments. But there’s another layer now. Coral is incredibly beautiful, yet incredibly vulnerable. So my sculptures celebrate what nature gives us while quietly asking: How much longer will it be here?
Works such as Caught On Tape directly address pollution and waste. How do you balance raising environmental awareness with creating visually engaging artworks?
I don’t want to preach. I want to seduce. I want someone to see the beauty first, to be drawn in by the colour, texture, movement, or sheer scale, and then realise what they’re looking at. Wait…is that VHS tape? Is that recycled paper? That moment of discovery is important. Beauty gets people to stop. The message gives them something to think about after they leave.
Your practice combines fine craftsmanship with conceptual ideas. How important is the physical act of manipulating paper in communicating your message?
It’s everything. Coiling paper is repetitive, physical, and incredibly meditative. One coil doesn’t seem like much. Thousands of them become an ecosystem. There’s something poetic about that. I take one of the simplest, most overlooked materials and transform it through patience and labour into something complex and immersive. The process itself mirrors the message: small choices can create something much bigger.
Guardians XX, XXII, XXIII, XXIX, XXIV, XXV, Recycled paper, variable dimensions, 2026 © Flavia Lovatelli
Your work has recently been featured in several major exhibitions and biennials. How have these experiences influenced your practice or opened new opportunities?
They’ve given me validation, exposure, and momentum. I make work because I love it, but being selected for major exhibitions tells me that the work is resonating beyond my studio. It puts my art in front of curators, collectors, and audiences I might never reach on my own. And every exhibition feeds me creatively. I walk into a show, see another artist doing something extraordinary, and immediately start thinking, What can I do with that idea?
Lastly, what projects are you currently working on, and what goals or directions would you like to pursue in the coming years?
I have a solo exhibition coming up in Valdosta, Georgia, this September, and I’m creating more work for that installation along with smaller pieces that bring me joy. But I’m thinking bigger. I want to continue building immersive environments, push paper further, and bring reclaimed materials into spaces where people might not expect to see them. I’d love to have my work at Frieze New York or Art Basel Miami Beach. And ultimately, I want the big one: to be invited to the Venice Biennale. That’s the dream I’m chasing.
Artist’s Talk
Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mr. Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9 Contemporary, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.
Siqi Fan is a Los Angeles–based artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, video installation, performance, and photography. Drawing inspiration from food culture, hospitality, and everyday encounters, her work reflects on migration, labor, memory, and the ways people create a sense of belonging, focusing on overlooked stories and forms of care embedded within ordinary spaces.