Mascia Manunza

Italian-Canadian artist Mascia Manunza uses traditional and non-traditional methods of painting, drawing, printmaking and sound to produce gestural representations of the most ephemeral of phenomena – time and being, expressed by capturing the elusively ever-changing “moments” of a cloud. Inspired by early 19th century systems of cloud classifications, she explores suspension, movement and time. These works are full of energy and life, sometimes ominous, yet always presented as meditative narratives.

 

In the late 18th century, there was a surge in scientific curiosity and a drive to logically categorize things. This trend was influenced by Carl Linnaeus who was known as the “father of taxonomy” due to his monumental work, Systema Naturae, published in 1758. In 1803, the British chemist Luke Howard published the seminal Essay on the Modification of Clouds. Howard’s enduring system adopted Linnaeus' approach and employed universal Latin to classify clouds and their transitions.

 

Born in Milan, Mascia Manunza studied printmaking at the Öland Grafiska Skola (Sweden), received a Diploma of Fine Art from the Liceo Artistico Primo (Milan) and an Honours BA from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera (Milan). In 1992, she co-founded the fine art print studio A14 in Milan, working with contemporary and historic works, and innovating experimental approaches in the art of printmaking. While there, she was an Assistant Teacher at the Accademia de Belle Arti di Brera and was Curator and Designer for various projects in the city of Milan.

 

Since moving to Toronto in 1996, Manunza has worked as a master printmaker and presented workshops and curated exhibitions involving Open Studio, Atelier GF, University of Toronto, the Italian Cultural Institute, GRAFF Centre de conception graphique (Montreal), A14, Atelier Quattordici-Graphica Upiglio 22250, Derbylius Gallery, and the Brera Academy of Fine Art. International curatorial projects included traditional and experimental printmakers from the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands.

 

Manunza continues to collaborate with A14, where, in 2003, she produced two limited edition books entitled A Slice of Sky and Nuvola da Viaggio (Travelling Cloud). She also created Cloud, a multimedia animation video with original compositions by David Occhipinti (Canadian composer and musician). Sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute the work was presented in Toronto, Amsterdam, and Milan. Upcoming projects in 2024-25 include a lecture at La Vita Felice (publishing house) and a residency at A14, where her work will be included in a limited edition book to commemorate their 30th anniversary.

 

Mascia Manunza’s exhibitions have been the subject of several catalogues and her work is in the collections of the National Printmaking Competition, Arcadia Nuova Gallery, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, In & Out Collection, and Sandro Giordano Collection – all in Italy. Her work is in private collections in Canada, China, Brazil, Belgium, England, Italy and the Netherlands.