Interview with Gianpaolo Fallani – Fallani Venezia
Requiring direct control over gesture, color and support, screen printing preserves a manual and experimental dimension: each step is the result of precise choices, carefully calibrated timing and a deep knowledge of materials. For this reason, it has been and continues to be a privileged tool for artists, illustrators and printers seeking a unique visual language, capable of combining reproducibility and uniqueness. Screen printing originated as a manual technique and, over time, has been able to engage in dialogue with the worlds of art, design and visual communication. Within this context lies the work of Maestro d’Arte Gianpaolo Fallani of Fallani Venezia, a historic Venetian workshop that has made screen printing a true field of research, collaborating with some of the most important figures in contemporary art. Through this interview, we enter the heart of a practice that is not only technical, but also a culture of making, memory and continuous experimentation.
What is screen printing and how does it fit into your work?
Screen printing is a printing technique widely used in the industrial field as well as in the artistic sphere. In my work, the role of the printer is similar to that of a literary translator: the goal is not to copy the original artwork, but to translate the artist’s language into the specific language of screen printing. The most complex part is the decomposition of an artwork into colors that will be printed one by one to achieve the final result. The image is broken down into all its colors and tonal gradations, and then reassembled during the printing phase. It is a work of interpretation, not mere reproduction. This is a process without fixed rules, rooted in a personal sensitivity that can vary depending on contextual conditions, and is therefore very complex to codify or transmit. Screen printing, in fact, is not intended to create replicas of the original, but to produce a transposition: an autonomous graphic work, with its own life and identity.
What materials do you use in your work?
I exclusively use water-based screen printing inks, in order to protect my health and that of my collaborators. I still remember the smell from when my father worked with solvent-based inks, which I now gladly avoid. I also sometimes work on fabric and glass; in fact, it should be remembered that screen printing is now widely used in the fashion industry, and I occasionally carry it out with pleasure, as these are stimulating commissions, even though I mainly print on paper. I primarily use natural Italian paper with a specific thickness, as I need a support suitable both for water-based inks and for the humidity conditions typical of Venice.
How did you learn this technique and what opportunities exist today for an apprentice approaching screen printing?
I learned mainly by “absorbing” the technique from my father, who already practiced screen printing. I also had training and sensitivity related to working with images and color, which are fundamental. Today I am trying to pass this experience on to my son, who is twenty years old and has begun working in the workshop. The basic technique itself is relatively simple: a frame with polyester fabric is used, through which the ink passes; with a squeegee with a rubber blade, the ink is pressed from one side of the frame to the other, passing through the fabric and depositing onto the sheet. Obviously, this is not a process that can be learned immediately without a period of practice. The real difficulty lies in the decomposition of the image, which requires deep artistic sensitivity, difficult to teach in a purely theoretical way.
How does collaboration with artists take place, and how have clients and the sector changed over the years?
It depends greatly on the artist. Generally, the artist creates their work and I create mine, proposing a simulation of the final result for screen printing. In some cases, especially when an artist undertakes a residency in the workshop, we work together for an entire week, engaging in daily discussions about the process. There are also artists who create directly for screen printing, working on transparent sheets: in these cases, there is no original artwork to decompose, as the work is conceived from the outset for the medium.
In my work, relationships remain fundamentally personal, but over time the economic aspects and commissions have changed profoundly. In the past, there were large companies, banks and insurance firms commissioning editions of prints for members and clients; today, these institutional clients have practically disappeared. The main clients have become galleries or the artists themselves, and work is increasingly direct collaboration between artist and printer.
What does it mean today to run a craft-based activity in Venice?
A Venetian crafts-based identity still exists, but it is severely threatened. There is still a great deal of production in the city, but every year a significant amount is lost. The main problem is the absence of concrete policies to maintain productive activities: when an artisan workshop closes, it is very difficult for a similar one to open. An artisan often cannot economically sustain a collaborator or apprentice, and when they retire their expertise is not transmitted and is therefore lost. Added to this are the costs of spaces, often unsustainable for artisans, as properties are primarily destined for tourist rentals or exhibition spaces, with which we cannot compete economically. Generational transfer is also complicated, both due to the closure of craft schools, transformed into art high schools, and because, as I mentioned, artisans tend to work alone. There is also an even deeper issue: the lack of residency. Without artisans in residence, even essential trades such as blacksmiths or upholsterers lose their natural clientele.
