In our work, we are no longer Nicola and Manuele, but Tristebacio. We have known each other for 15 years, both come from near Lugano and were in the same graffiti, skateboarding and underground scene before we joined forces. Our artist name reflects a certain nostalgia: it goes back to a large graffiti that we sprayed with a friend back then.
Even before we studied fine arts, we were making art together as Tristebacio. Now we want to take our work to a higher level and focus on it one hundred percent. The infrastructure, machines and studios at Toni-Areal are just as helpful as the input of our lecturers and fellow students. Our art has become much more thoughtful and profound. Zurich was the closest art school for us in Switzerland. We like the city, but if we could, we would move the Toni Areal to another place - somewhere south, where there is no winter.
In our work, the connection to our home region is important. Last year, we exhibited a site specific installation in Genova (Italy). Titled «Live Forever», it explores the theme of paranoia. Currently, we are recording a music album. We are collaborating with musicians and recording our own raps. We are calling the album «Live Forever». Our origin, the underground scene, is not obvious in our work, but enters it subtly. We want to be authentic: to say what we feel and think, to express those feelings and thoughts and to create art instead of drowning in our thoughts. We no longer want to compromise but to follow our own path. But as Tristebacio, we are stronger than on our own. If we are set on doing something, if we have an idea, then we see it through and stand by it.