Marco Brancato's illustrations suspended between art and fashion

Marco Brancato, born in 1990, is an illustrator and animator from Bologna. His collaborations range from the world of publishing, music and fashion. Chosen by OREQUO for his dreamlike and visionary art, Marco has contributed to the creation of different Collections including the new Spring/Summer 2024 Malìa .
In this interview we will try to better investigate his art and how it relates to the creative flair of the brand.

How did you approach art and how does your professional career begin?

There is no real moment of approach, creativity has always been the means of communication that I prefer. Since childhood I have expressed myself best with a sheet and something that would leave a mark on it. So let's say that as far as art is concerned it has always been an urgency which then inevitably led to choosing it as a profession. Mine is a rather linear path except for scientific studies in high school, I attended the Academy and immediately after the ISIA of Urbino, an institute of excellence in the field of visual communication and Graphic design, in which I had the opportunity to train as an illustrator and animator. The profession comes later with a lot of experience in the field.

The full-bodied brushstrokes of color are very striking in your art. It is easy to hypothesize that this peculiarity is deliberately used as a communicative tool. So what importance does color have for your works and what emotions do you think it is able to evoke? 

Color is certainly very important in my language but I think I can say in general in this profession. Choosing a palette in any project is a key aspect in visual communication. I believe that the emotions that this arouses depend precisely on the basis of the different jobs and intentions that are put in place, precisely because it is not treated casually but thought out ad hoc for each project. The fact of transmitting it in more or less gestural brushstrokes certainly contributes to a certain aesthetics and expressiveness of the subjects represented which are typical of my language.

There are many fields in which you have been able to experiment your artistic language: music, publishing, but also fashion. How was this partnership born and what prompted you to want to contribute to the fashion sector?

Fashion is a field that stimulates me and I enjoy it a lot, as you said I'm lucky enough to be able to range a lot but the fashion aspect is often taken care of regardless of the field of application I'm approaching, precisely because of my curiosity about clothing and fashion. I find it to be one of the most interesting aspects of being human and an extraordinary form of non-verbal communication. Getting to take care of the design of the patterns of the garments opens me up to further possibilities in my personal investigation and therefore is undoubtedly a reason for considerable creative enrichment. Can't ask for better.

The collaboration with OREQUO has seen the birth of numerous collections, among the latest the SS24 Malìa Collection presented in preview at the recent Rome Showcase. How has this partnership evolved over time and what aspect has enriched you the most, both professionally and artistically speaking?

In the case of the SS24, in addition to the fun and at the same time the physiological damnation that an artist feels in the execution of his works, the whole upstream research part was very interesting, many things are discovered and learned in this phase and it is one of the reasons why it is nice to do this job. You are, one project after another, in ever new, different, unexpected worlds that inevitably end up enriching you just like a nice trip can. Specifically, we investigated different legends and cultures related to the theme of the forest, what came out of it is a palette very rich in stories.

Bologna represents your home. What characteristic of this city do you always look for when you find yourself traveling to a distant place?

Although lately, like many other cities, it has been a victim of changing times, Bologna remains the city that welcomed me immediately after my studies in total uncertainty and precariousness and with patience has allowed me to grow professionally and aim for the goal at a human pace, made up of many sacrifices but also of constant stimuli and lots of nourishment for the soul (whatever meaning you want to give to this word). Furthermore, I have always found a unique aspect of Bologna: everyone passes through it. For a lot or a little, for one reason or another, you pass very often through that sealess port which is the city of Bologna, and I find this thing an incredible source of wealth. Perhaps this is what I look for in any place: hospitality, exchange, nourishment.