Mauro Cosenza is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in live arts, circus, dance, and physical theatre which he merges with interactive technology and multimedia art. Inspired by the relationship between humans and nature, his work ranges from developing real-time generative systems to creating immersive experiences with visual effects, music, and interactive sensors. We spoke with him about his practice, technology and the power of art to communicate.
1. How would you describe your artistic practice?
Describing my artistic practice is describing myself, describing my day-to-day life. What I do is a small expression/extension of my way of feeling and living life in all its forms. My source of inspiration lies in everything that moves. By perceiving movement as a whole, I can say that nothing is completely still. Everything in the universe, from the largest to the smallest, is in constant transformation.That is why, in my daily life, I have no choice but to move in this ever-changing world. Regardless of my sensory/emotional state, I have to get up and accompany this constant shared present where everything is still in the making.
2. What interests you about working with new technology?
Working with new technologies was a consequence of a pandemic where I could not perform my stage work. Almost unintentionally, little by little, I found another path that would lead me to a single destination. I discovered a new way to express myself and communicate with the world. Today, it is technology—perhaps tomorrow, I will find another path. What interests me is expression. We all use different forms of expression—some bake bread, others construct buildings, others teach. I make things, things that have no name or shape for me. I do them because they make me feel good, I need it—it is food for my soul. I am interested in communicating with people using languages other than words and seeing how they resonate with them. That is the response I seek in this channel of communication I propose.
3. How do you engage with the natural world ?
Since childhood, I have always been in contact with the natural world, which humans have named "nature." I would go to my grandparents' countryside and get lost, climb trees, and play with animals. It was there that I understood the cycle of life—observing, but also intervening with my hands. I was wild when I was there, but when I returned to the concrete, I was civilised. Later, I discovered that people who do not live in cities have a different perception of life.
Today, I spend almost the entire day locked in a 2x3 meter room, sitting in front of a computer, trying to recreate this memory in a digital world. I do not believe in this new vision that many of us "artists" have—wanting technology to express, imitate, or recreate nature. And yet, here I am, making works of plants, flowers, trees, or videos set in this natural environment. This makes me think that, in reality, everything originates from there. Everything is nature, and nature itself is the most complex technology.
Every time we play at being "creators," imitating nature, we destroy it—and in doing so, we destroy ourselves. Because we never cease to be nature, even when we are the destroyers of our own existence. The human~nature binary is an illusory fantasy of separation that we have created out of a narcissistic urge to feel like creators. At this moment, my connection with nature is pressing these keys to write this and connecting with another living being who is reading me right now.
In my attempt to be free and wild—within my privileges as a civilised white man—I believe I can choose to be in this room or go wherever I want. In the end, we need nothing more than food and shelter. But perhaps one day, we will understand nature, and when that happens, this text may have a few more words.
4. What is the relationship between art and technical innovation?
For me, there is no separation between art and technological innovation; they are one and the same. As I expressed before, everything is in motion, and that is why I believe everything advances together with the evolution of life itself. Just like my own personal evolution—from my beginnings juggling at traffic lights, performing in public squares, and traveling through festivals in 24 countries, to being confined by a pandemic that forced me to reinvent myself and find new forms of expression. All these experiences are part of me, which is why everything is connected to shape who we are at this very moment. Art and technological innovation exist within every culture.
With this, I want to bring up two quotes:
“Cultures are neither pure nor closed entities; they are multiple, dynamic, and fluid. The notion of a single culture is a fallacy; there is no single cultural trait that defines a people or a nation. In reality, there is a vast diversity of cultural expressions that intertwine, forming a cultural continuum—a gradient encompassing various mixtures, not separate 'boxes.' This cultural continuum is manipulated by power systems, which select certain traits and present them as a homogeneous and immutable culture, as seen in the ideological construction of cultures themselves.” (Aguilar, 2024)
“Before colonization, art was not conceived as a category separate from everyday life. Cultural expressions were not only understood as aesthetic productions but also as political practices intertwined with daily life, spirituality, and the relationship with nature. Artistic practices were an integral part of the social and community fabric, inseparable from both the spiritual and the natural world.” (González, 2024)
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5. What do you want the viewer to take away from your art?
To know, see, or appreciate my art is to know my intimacy. It is like speaking with me in another language. It is communication—like when I say good morning to someone on the street, when I see my friends, or when I go shopping. Art is in everything; it is not something concrete. It is the intention, the dedication, and the care we put into each movement. It is a way of relating to my surroundings and creating new forms of expression. Perhaps what I have to say can change something, and as a consequence, change myself.
