Stella Stone is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in Milan, Italy but travelling worldwide when it comes to finding new ways of art healing. Her work stretches several mediums including graphic design, painting, image making, art installations and object design. The artist studied at Parsons in New York and then at UAL in London, but her true school was the creative process, working primarily in innovative ways, letting colour and form guide her processes; she is also interested in translating the connections of natural and spiritual realms.

Founder of AT Studio, Stella Stone, born in Milan from the love of a New Yorker as father and a Sicilian-Bolzano mother - who met in Los Angeles - and raised between Italy, America and the Dominican Republic, is an eclectic daughter of art. She has a strong cultural + visual identity in all her surreal artworks and freedom in her style. The artist is bringing on spot new ways of how colours and dreams can be a way of healing, giving a completely new meaning to what an art installation is.

Any art project is inexhaustibly intense and makes you tirelessly curious to discover more. A set designer, art director or, more simply, «a creator of things to customize my own way» she says of herself.

At this moment, artist Stella Stone has several installations that can be seen between Florence, Milan and different parts of the world. It’s also no wonder that she is one of the most popular, with works making their way into homes of private collectors and corporate offices around the world. She actively experiments across all mediums, from technical drawing to sculpture - she’s even tried her hands at wall sculptures and using surreal mediums to make works of art. We decided to find out a little more about Stella Stone and the most challenging artwork she’s ever produced, and a little insight into the studio life of a successful multidisciplinary artist read on:

Hi Stella, welcome to COEVAL, you have had a strong background in art and ethical fashion since you were a child. Share with us a few highlights about your childhood, how would you describe it in a few words?

Hiii. Thank you so much for having me. So excited to be talking to you, it’s genuinely surreal.

So, I was born in Milan in 97’, my mother is from the Dolomites, she is a fashion & knitwear designer and sustainability ambassador, and my father is a New Yorker mixed Londoner filmmaker and producer. I was lucky enough to be born into an eclectic and colourful family. Very funny, very passionate and very, very loud. My two siblings and I were constantly meeting artists, directors, designers, performers, activists, actors, you name it. Our home has always been a place where dinner parties and get-togethers were on a weekly basis. I feel fortunate for many reasons, but essentially we got to socialize and interact with talented and interesting humans, always bringing a piece of the world or their experience into our home, since the beginning. And for this, I am grateful to my parents and grandparents for encouraging us to travel and visit the world, even though the world was always at our doorstep. I spent every other summer and winter travelling to the Dominican Republic since I’ve been alive, eventually becoming a third home to me and my family. We blended so seamlessly into that culture, I feel it’s a part of me and my true essence. The tropical contamination mixed with that Milanese class and New York City madness, made me who I am today. I was exposed to so much, and that only made me hungrier to find out more. It’s impossible to describe my childhood in a few words!

When was your first approach to fashion and how did your childhood influence your path to arrive where you are now? How did Stella Stone emerge?

I’ve always been obsessed with any kind of market, outdoor or indoor, used, vintage, pre-owned, anything related to used objects, interiors and clothing, of course. I’ve instinctively approached huge piles of clothing, flea markets and vintage stores as part of my cultural and personal research. An escape into a different dimension, truly. It’s a way of seeing worlds and eras, and discovering ways of being by just feeling the craft of something. You can tell it was handmade. You can feel the design’s intentions when you are observing it. And I’ve always appreciated that about used and vintage: it had a life, but where? Who? I ask myself inner dialogue questions, fascinating myself with the imagined fable behind each piece and its history.

I’ve consistently craved unique, one-of-a-kind things. Most importantly, the ability to customize my own way of styling an outfit and make it stand out to me. Those who love me know, I like cutting, quite literally, everything. Crop this, shorten that, this connected to that. Almost everything I own has had some sort of alteration done by me, and I feel like that part really makes it my bespoke piece. I like the act of cutting with no measurements or anything, just my sensation, the feeling of how I imagine it looking on me. I love what clothes can do to your mood and energy, altering it. I think that’s what really solidified my relationship with clothing. Wearing a mad dress, a funky skirt, a wild accessory, or a hat would always be key to turning my day around. I fell in love with creating a character or changing frequency by simply adjusting my look. It became obvious to me that I could wear whatever, whenever. I watched my mother’s elegant and charismatic style influence me as much as my dad’s anarchic punk lifestyle. And I always look at locals and their customs in new places I visit.

My mother, Marina Spadafora, started her own collection in the late 80s in Los Angeles and then Milan, it became somewhat iconic, and it still is to me today. What she made in the 90s is what people are making today. Growing up and having access to her closet, her archive, and seeing my family wear her creations ten, fifteen years later, was incredibly inspiring to me. I would wear red lipstick, earrings, and dresses to kindergarten, I was obsessed with always putting on a statement look, wearing tons of colours and textures.

Ethical rituals and sustainable acts merge in your regenerative artworks. Do you consider your work as a form of meditation that can have an impact on the human body?

Depending on the output, work can certainly be a form of meditation with a direct impact on the body.

When creating my digital artworks, images, photos, and then going through the digitalisation process, the 3D, the texture, and colour, that’s definitely more of a meditative process than some of the phases in the process of making an installation or a set. Image making is a practice I have been cultivating and specialising for the longest time. In 2021, I developed a new body of work focused on this idea of sculpting light through a mechanical, analogue and then digitalisation process. I captured thousands of images of refracted particles and specs of light, the micro details of these images became the framework for the extrusions. I could pull, shape and mould pixels into different shapes. Describing the works is hard but I was told they feel like explosions, frozen fireworks, suspended flowers, corals, surreal landscapes and supernatural forms.

However, lately, as of the past year and a half or so, I have been working and specialising my craft in installations, set design, scenographic projects that are extremely physical and hard on the body. I’ve worked on maybe 20 plus projects in the last year, with my design team AT STUDIO, as well as on my own, all around this theme of creating an installation or immersive experience, and I have to say, it’s a tough job. You need stamina, mental and physical strength, and lots of patience. In most cases you are in the conceptualising phase for many weeks and months before you actually start building something. It’s exciting and many ideas are being discussed, what works, what doesn’t, what if this or that and so on. Usually hundreds, sometimes thousands of ideas are being thrown around, and it all stems from personal and cultural research. Although that part may take a longer time, when the building phase starts, it's usually a tight turnaround, a few days or weeks to physically make it.

There are moments in the making of an installation that can be very meditative, like the works for Vogue, Adidas or A Paper Kid, there are repetitions, mechanical motions that force you to focus and get wired in and repeat it many times over. I like that feeling, I get to approach and study a new material, a new craft, use new tools, figure out new ways of making, and project your ideas into reality. It’s full-on construction sometimes. Other times pure fun.

Of course, you really must be curious and love what you are doing, or it can turn into a nightmare. I love discovering new ways of thinking and making. I feel like the real school of life for any maker starts with that brief, and once you’ve understood that, imagined and visualized what it is you will make, it’s the world you create in the design process that teaches you the biggest lessons.

What are a few ways to explore art installations related to fashion and at the same time having an impact on people? How does your research process work when it comes to creating a new project?

I believe fashion and art go hand in hand. One influences the other, the ying and yang. A fashion moment, show, set, prop, look, anything, must be contextualized by art and design. Art installations are the framework often for presentations, the taste and physical embodiment of an entire collection can be inspired by a single motif or set. Art installations in fashion have always been a fascinating theme for me, some of my first jobs in New York were in visual merchandising, booth and set design, and styling stores and ambiances. I worked in Stefan Beckman’s office, one of fashion’s most influential set designers. Window displaying was one of the first core training I ever had as a job.

Research has to be one of the most fun aspects of my work. I go deep into tracing down the original source of an image, I definitely scavenge websites related to design, architecture, spaces, art, culture, things being made etc. I’ll look at something and think of how I would change it, make it differently.

This gave me the tools to look, think, research and fully understand a fundamental pillar in a creative’s career: know your history, know what’s already been done and who did it. If you research a lot, scan through images, texts, crafts and look at the world, even from your library or laptop, it’s like you are putting all the pieces together from the puzzle. It’s the only way to build on the past and evolve on it, make something different, referencing the world is a way of understanding it. I later discovered, the coolest thing to me, would be the ability to reference anything, having seen and looked at a lot. Having the ability to have references in major “arts” fields simply benefits my input when conceptualising and visualising an idea. I’m scanning my brain for what I need from my research library.

That feeling of empowerment you get when you can perfectly picture what a person is talking about because you saw it, you researched it. And now you know.

Talking from a creative’s perspective, do you think that loneliness is part of self-repair and growth? If yes, how important is it for an artist?

I can only speak for myself and say that yes, it can be a form of self-repair and growth. A lonely moment can generate creativity as a response, as an output. But it really depends on the time and place. I’ve felt lonely at times even if I was surrounded by people, by friends. Feeling unapproachable and not liked. Loneliness can be a dark moment, it tends to be when I’m feeling it. It’s a feeling, unless its a reality, and I find that when I need loneliness, I’ll go there. If I don’t, I’ll try and avoid going there, mentally. I spent 4 months during the first lockdown stuck in the Dominican Republic. Everything was shut down and I spent most of my days painting, drawing, making images and work that would reflect that moment for me. I spent quality time with my grandfather who was living there at the time and we painted together somedays. That was special to me; making art with him made me feel less lonely. And I went to colour, my light and saviour.

Ultimately I think loneliness can be good and bad, like everything. Depending on so many things, it can trigger or inspire, it can help or make it worse. There have been times when it’s helped, others when I had enough of it. To react with art is usually a form of therapy to me.

What are your mediums to explore the human body’s relationship to art? We loved your collaboration with Joshua Billsborough for Vogue, especially about your way to show us how colors can be a healing way to our mind and body. Walk us through your design process a little bit regarding the collaboration with Joshua.

Josh and I are partners in life and co-founders of AT STUDIO, we work together on many projects, including installations! Our project for Vogue from September 2022, was commissioned during FW to promote the Vogue Collection. It consisted in designing huge letters of the logo and covering them in thousands of bundles of crochet. Yarn was sourced from local street markets and small stores in Milan. We did that in 2 nights I believe. It was a sprint. Almost every installation I’ve ever done with Josh ends up being a last-minute request from the client and we have very little time to work on it. That forces us to go into a space of fight or flight, we need to make fast decisions on what the final outcome wants to be as well as contextualise the work once it’s ready. Not specifically for this project, but for bigger ones, we tend to give each other a week of full-on research and that’s when we buy a lot of books and magazines. When we re-group, we both have a go at explaining what our ideas mean, visualizing them and attempting to describe them in the most accurate way possible. We’re playing ping-pong of ideas basically. This works, this is impossible, this may not stand up, then sun might fade that and so on. Any kind of doubt or query regarding that idea we tend to try and discuss it immediately. From here we select, we sketch, we test, we visualize, we buy materials etc. In the end, we need to be aligned on the presentation we are delivering so everything has been run through several times and we are on the same page. I tend to be very conceptual, grandiose and the “dreamer”, always with a sense of utter perfection in coordination, studio prep and organization. Josh brings it back down to earth, with a technical, stylish, and interesting twist to everything he imagines. We are sort of a perfect match; we complement each other and compensate for one another. We’re always pleasantly surprised when one of us whips out a new skill during a production that we hadn’t seen before, it’s impressive and we teach each other everything.

How do you think wearable art can improve a person’s mood? We can perceive your project @oooooooooosea as a body and mind healing using colours. At the same time you are very focused on environmental responsibility, how would you define the term “long-lasting” in fashion?

With @oooooooooosea, I decided to make one of a kind wearable objects and bags. I liked the motion of crochet and soon discovered I could make any shape and size I wanted to. I find specific yarns, usually in small quantities at markets all around Italy and make one piece in that style and color and that’s it. They tend to be loud and crazy wearable objects, so they tend to stand out in one’s outfit. People like the idea that no one else will ever own the same piece. It makes them feel special. Bespoke and custom pieces have a power to them. It’s like my approach to clothing and styling, it transcends into my art making and crocheting being that’s the philosophy. I really value small, independent labels, craft kings and queens that support themselves with their hands. Being that I only make Osea bags when I feel like it, literally, there is no pressure in producing and being part of the “industry” or “system”. I’m simply not a part of it, and don’t want to be considered a full-on brand. I have a stock of about 60 bags and give them out to friends, or sell them, you can find some on @magaarchivio. They are meant to live with you a lifetime, they are sturdy and mad.

How have your experiences with different artists, in the past, improved your visions?

Artists have a way of looking at things and are curious individuals, in most cases. Having always been surrounded by different kinds of artists and makers, I just ask a lot of questions. I always have, since I was a kid. Fascinated by good stories and memories, when I ask questions and artists usually welcome the curiosity, the intent to find out and be informed is appreciated. It’s a privilege to spend time with creative people, they are naturally full of experiences and have sooo much to express.

I once worked in a giga event agency. I was the right hand of the President and Artistic Director, and later assisted some brilliant Creative Directors and then became an Art Director within the luxury event experiences, mostly working with top class fashion and car brands, in that agency. I watched and observed one of the CD’s I worked with in awe of the excellence, eloquence, and precision with which he approached each meeting. He was a hybrid set designer, the research and references we used to share were inspiring moments. It felt like I was doing a master class in exactly what I wanted to learn more about. I approach conversations with artists with a sense of pure educational value, no matter the age or craft. Having a studio now, working and hiring creatives to support and assist us is a constant way to experience new ways of making. I love being freelance because you see so much, and you are constantly stimulated.

Is there any abandoned work project that you would like to give a re-birth? How do you explore the need of finding new ways of healing?

Countless projects I’ve worked on never made it to the finish line. I do wish this one project went all the way through because my key visual would have been printed as billboards on buildings globally, but sadly, for production reasons, the event and launch was never completed. However, I’ve done blueprints for so many “dream” exhibitions with my work in them. I’ve made hundreds of presentations illustrating how I would print my works, present them in immersive ways, what the thesis of the shows would be and so on. The biggest archive of abandoned work projects would definitely be these imagined immersive exhibitions I would really like to curate one day.

What is your relationship with dreams? Because we found magical and dreamy surreal flowers for Massimo Bonini in your previous project with AT Studio. What was the main inspiration for that collaboration? What are some of the most interesting installations you created? Where will be the next one?

One of my favorite projects ever, the flowers! Josh and I, supported by our team and assistant, made three gigantic flowers made from hand-sculpted plexiglass and other materials. The location is in a stunning palazzo of the Borromeo family from the 1400s, in the heart of the city. They reached out to me in September 2022, we went through a concept and proposal phase that lasted about 3 months, until we decided to proceed with the huge flower’s idea. We had literally hundreds of ideas. We like the idea of making small things huge, the surreal details that emerge when you blow something up in scale are so interesting. The project is called “Flora Sublime '', and we wanted the flowers to be bigger than a human being, to place value and emphasis on the importance of these tiny beings that keep us alive on this planet. The beauty, fragility and magnificence of flowers tend to be mostly disregarded; by positioning these flowers on a higher level of importance, we are making a statement to pay attention, to appreciate what we have. Something so small actually has such a profound impact on our lives. “Flora Sublime '' lasted for six months.

Just a few days ago we installed our most recent installation for Massimo Bonini, “Above and Beyond”, we designed and created an experiential installation, paying homage to the beauty and strength of stalagmites, seen as a historical symbol of the silent growth of nature. We chose to analyze and study the forms, compositions, and develop a synthesis of these "patient sculptures," created only by time, unintentionally. The installation is an artistic celebration of the natural sculptures that we often do not have the opportunity to encounter in our daily lives, with the recreation of a decontextualized place transported into a modern and urban environment. The surrealism of color, forms, and signs involves the observer in the discovery of an almost science-fiction-like landscape, always different and decentralized. The awareness of protecting these treasures created by the earth is imminent. In honor of these "natural sculptures," the choice to dye and make them ultra-charismatic, emphasizes their importance and impact on our lives even more.

We’ve been developing this project for about a month and a half, and we built everything ourselves. I love the message behind this project and what it stands for. We were fortunate to collaborate with a company that believed in us since day one. This gave us the ability to communicate and work seamlessly together.

We know you grew up in different countries and currently you are based in Milan, but traveling worldwide. Is traveling regularly also an important aspect of your research process?

It feel like I have been travelling since I was born. So much adrenaline and excitement are generated when I travel. An eagerness to discover and feeling like an explorer. A sensation that anything could happen. I love a good adventure. In Italian, people say when you travel “ti rifai gli occhi”, you’ll get yourself new eyes, essentially. The fact that you’re exposed to constant newness everywhere you turn when you travel to a new place is special. A great part of my travelling is purely about research. It inevitably happens just by being in the mindset of going on a discovery.

I moved to New York City on my own at age sixteen and lived there for about 6 years. I went to a public liberal art high-school in Midtown, surrounded by “real” kids from the City and Brooklyn, I feel like that and going to Parsons really opened my eyes on a new way of being and presenting myself to the world. Quite simply, that’s THE city where you can truly wear whatever, whenever, and most importantly, however. That was the confidence boost that still I carry with me to this day and a reminder to be free, to feel free when choosing what to wear and what to make. That’s one of the biggest privileges of my life, having that duality of cultures and constantly meeting people, made me an open human being, a citizen of the world. It makes you hungrier, the more you travel, the more you feel like you want to know, to discover. It’s a personal quest of mine to travel the entire world, a dream I am devoted to fulfilling.

Name us a few other creatives or special places / galleries you would like to collaborate with. What was the last place that really fascinated you?

Es Devlin, James Turrell, Katharina Grosse, Albert Oehlen, Austin Lee, Lea Colombo, Tim Walker and Shona Heath, Gaetano Pesce, Braulio Amado, The Attico, to name just a few of my favourite creatives. I would feel very lucky to get to work with any of them. 100% a dream. Pure brilliance. 180 The Strand in London, Superblue in Miami, Loewe Foundation, Moment Factory, PIN-UP magazine, to name a few collaborators and institutional realities I would love to collaborate with.

Is there any favorite book ( can be also a trip ) that changed your life.

I don’t think a single trip changed my life, more like all of them. When I went to Los Angeles at age seventeen for the first time on my own, I spent over a month exploring the area. It was definitely a life-changing experience. The light, the air, the galleries, the spaces, Downtown, the Canyons, the Hills, all of it was straight out of a film. Some of my friends from University were from San Francisco, Malibu and LA, and they made me feel at home and welcomed me everywhere we went. I was in awe of California at the time, that trip exposed me to so much new culture at the time.

“The Future We Choose” by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac is a book I strongly recommend. “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari. And a personal favourite, brilliantly written and illustrated, is “Dope World” by Niko Vorobyov.

A letter to your future self. What would you write?

I would probably draw something or make something to give to my future self. I think I am a visualizer. I tend to draw up things that I want the future to materialise, what I imagine my studio being like, or a future home or place. I used to sketch my ideal studio over and over again, and I have to say, the studio we have now looks pretty much just like my drawings. So I would definitely paint myself a picture of my studio at age 30, in a few years from now.