Il Volo invited Ingrassia to perform live at their concert on March 5 at Bank United Center in Miami, where painted an inverted portrait of the trio in front of an audience of almost 8,000 people. When recounting the experience, he stated: “Initially I was a little tense because I had to finish the upside down painting by the end of the song ‘Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella).’ I turned the finished painting around and the audience exploded in a great and long applause. I think it was one of the greatest emotions of my life. Miami will always be in my heart.”
Fabio’s trip to Miami was an important step in his career, allowing him to meet many new artists. It was also there, he said, that “I realized that art speaks different languages but that they are all united in a unique message: that of emotion.”
And speaking of that upside down painting technique, or “dipingere a testa in giù,” it is now becoming a trademark of sorts for him that is mesmerizing thousands of spectators. Surprisingly, he began painting upside down “by chance” during an art event in Petrosino. On stage alongside his friend DJ, in front of about 1,000 people, he revealed: “…we created a union of music and art. In front of a black canvas, with my back to the audience, I wanted to create a landscape, so with two hands I began to paint. During the performance, I noticed that I was creating a face upside down, so, continuing, I finished and rotated Marilyn Monroe. The audience appreciated my performance so much and since then I began to do it at many events all over Sicily and beyond.”
In all this discussion of music arose the curiosity as to which of history’s greatest artists and painters impact Ingrassia’s artistic vision. He graciously provided some insight:
MNGBlog: Who are your favorite artists/painters?
FI: It’s difficult to say precisely who my favorite artist is. Each has his own style and story…from Caravaggio to Dalì, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Picasso, Guttoso, Lucian Freud…to more/most recent artists like Corella, painting is like a book–you can’t begin to read it from the end.
MNGBlog: Name three artists you would want to have dinner with.
FI: I would definitely go to dinner with Corella, a Spanish hyperrealist; with Picasso to better discover his cubist world; and with Dalì to understand his genius.
Fabio sells his works all over the world. From the United States to Japan to his native Italy and everywhere in between, he communicates his passionate, music-inspired message with all who listen.