Italian artist Pippo inspires youngsters to show artistic flair

Pupils at Portsmouth's Admiral Lord Nelson secondary school were given a masterclass in artistic inspiration.
ALNS PIPPO       Pippo with pupils at Admiral Lord Nelson SchoolALNS PIPPO       Pippo with pupils at Admiral Lord Nelson School
ALNS PIPPO Pippo with pupils at Admiral Lord Nelson School

Alongside his residency at Southsea’s Kings Theatre, renowned Italian artist Pippo Panariello visited the school to hold a workshop yesterday afternoon.

Head of art at the University of Naples, Pippo is known for establishing the Museum Under 14, an online children’s art gallery.

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During the workshop, the artist inspired pupils to think beyond their boundaries, using a variety of materials to create pieces around the theme of ‘freedom’.

‘Art allows children to express themselves through their heart rather than their head. In embracing spontaneity, you get great results,’ he said.

‘Freedom is a way of life. If you free yourself from the rules of society, you’ll have a much better opportunity to be productive through art’.

One student, 11-year-old Flynn Parkinson, praised Pippo’s teaching.

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‘I think it’s really fascinating. You don’t get opportunities like this very often, so it’s a fantastic experience’, he said.

Katrina Henderson, community engagement officer at the Kings Theatre, stressed the importance of encouraging young people to exercise their artistic side.

‘We’ve been working with international artists at the Kings and bringing them over to the UK, getting them to work with local schools’, she said.

‘At a time when curricular concentration sways towards the core subjects, it’s very important to get children involved in art’.

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Ms Henderson hopes to hold many more workshops like this in the future.

‘We’re applying for funding at the moment to have an artist-in-resident at the theatre.

‘So, with every project we do, I want to bring school children either into the Kings Theatre, or to reach out to local schools’, she said.

Mr Panariello will work from the theatre’s Tower Artist Studio until next Tuesday while his exhibition, ‘Silence’ is on display.

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The installation features a series of abstract paintings that seek to reflect the current nature of the world around us. Each work is embellished with glitter and a central blade, applied to represent society’s ‘tendency to cut one another down’.