Angleo Musco is an Italian contemporary artist based in New York. He creates other-worldly photographic portraits of thousands of nude bodies. One of his biggest pieces, Tehom, remarkably used around 200,000 nude bodies.

The theme of these astounding portraits revolve around the sensitive topics like birth, gestation and procreation. The human body is the main subject of his work in which the naked bodies are connected to each other in a surreal manner. The artist also draws influence from his early tragic life.

There's so much to explore about this incredible artist and his work. And that's why let's get straight to Angelo for getting our answers . Also, don't miss the artist in action in the videos below:


Angelo, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.

I'd like to skip the introduction because I trust you to make the introduction based on what you know and how you feel about my work.




Angelo, you're really a blessed artist. Incredible artwork! What influences the artist within you?

I'm drawn by the strength and power of individual elements and their power to become the driving force of a major composition; the unified sense of purpose is what makes the collective body possible. What they can achieve when they get together–the aggregation of elements–is what I hope to convey with my work, that every individual element is not only complimentary, but essential to every other.

Hadal:


















































We are really keen to know your creative work process. Would you like to elaborate, please?

There are 2 different ways of looking at my process. Conceptual and the physical. On the conceptual, front at this time, the work is flowing like an ongoing dialogue where the end of one piece informs the start of the next piece. Earlier most of the work were stand alone projects but now they are connecting. Containers of life, natural architecture and using the nude human body are constants in the work. Now when we are working on a piece that can take two years of my life to complete, the work becomes an ongoing diary of life and events during the creation of the piece. Each piece is a journey in itself and the final work may have evolved greatly from the original concept. It is not simply taking a picture but weaving together, and building the image, and when you are working on pieces like Arania, a gigantic spider web, we [myself and studio assistants] feel like we are the weavers of the web. The labor mimics the inspiration whether a nest, a web, or a forest.

The physical is more straight forward. There are photo shoots to orchestrate with individuals, small groups and large gatherings of 80+ people at a time. Heading into the shoot I have in mind what I need to accomplish and we will map that out before hand and then it grows with the introduction of the energy from all the models. Then we go into the studio and use the figures and shapes from the photo shoots to connect and build the image. Lately I keep coming back to this image of weaving and working the materials together and melding them and adding layer upon layer to build the work.

Ovum:






























































I read about the first time when you used the human body as a medium to create your art work. How was the experience? How was it perceived by the people around?

It was fun but I should mention that it was really out of necessity that I started working with the human body. I was a student studying in Spain and I didn't have very much money so I couldn't afford paint and started using the body in its place. I also discovered the power of aggregation. The models brought their energy and made the experience so much more powerful. It is interesting that people come to help me and perhaps are curious but they leave energized with the realization that they contributed to the creative process which is a really unique and life affirming experience.

Xylem:






















































Tell us about your project 'Tehom'. How challenging it was?

It was challenging working underwater and communicating with the models. There were a few technical issues to be dealt with but each time we were in the pool there was a natural connection between the models and the camera. It was first for me and a really wonderful experience. Then the complicated work of building Tehom started. It was two years of work with so many layers so the scale of the piece could be overwhelming at times. I feel like the very depths of the piece swirl and flow like a diary of each of those days in the studio.

Tehom:
























Which project of all by you has been the most special one so far? 

That is like asking a parent who is their favorite child. When we go into the studio for days and months at a time each piece has its own emotional journey, moments of humor, frustration, love, sadness and then the energy and elation of a birth at the end of the process so they all speak to me in their own special way.


Share the best compliment you've ever received for your work.

I like to work on a large scale, so when a collector altered the dimensions of his space in order to properly accommodate my work I felt it was a great compliment and illustrated how strongly they connected with the piece.


What has been the breakthrough point in your or is it yet to come?

I think it is all relative and when you are in it you don't see it. Artistically I'm constantly searching and exploring so I don't think it has happened yet but that is also the nature of being an artist and always striving and moving forward.


Do you have any dream project?

Many, too many.


What are the other things that interests you? What do you do in your free time?

At the moment I don't really have free time. If I'm not in studio, I'm at home and I like to explore other senses, in particular the emotional life of the palate. Exploring and experiencing food, wine and their conversation with culture, history and innovation are a passion of mine and literally and figuratively feed my art as well.




















































Angelo, thank you for the interview. Your work is outstanding and so are you. E-junkie wished you good luck for your future projects!


Angelo Musco on Facebook.