Maria Domenica Rapicavoli

Born in Catania in 1976. Lives in London

Using video as her means of expression, Maria Domenica Rapicavoli recreates paradoxical situations exploring the concept of identity in relation to stereotypes. The artist puts herself directly on the line, moving through different spaces and milieus, interacting with people-often strangers-to whom she presents a constantly changing image of who she is, attempting to undermine the idea of an absolute and fixed identity. Her research is based on the conventions and commonplaces that emerge in relationships with others. Moving in and out of different situations, from a London hairdressers' to a Parisian restaurant, all the way to a ‘design' store lived like a private residence, Rapicavoli investigates the delicate relationships that are established between objects, the places in which we live our day-to-day lives, and one's personal identity, through a comparison that often reveals how we unconsciously adapt to preestablished models and conventions.  (A.T.)