Draft:Filomena Coppola

Filomena Coppola is an Australian postwar and contemporary,^[1] born in Mildura Victoria by Italian parents, she had lived and worked in Italy, France and United States. She was influence by her parents and by her own journey of self discovery.^[1] Coppola work explores the intercession of her two cultures their convergence and divergence, merger and separation . Her soft pastels capture moments of duality, reflecting her hybrid of identity of Italian and Australian culture.^[1] Through this exploration she has come to that culture are independent each unable to exist without each other.

Career

Filomena has widely exhibited her work over decades and has widely participate in. Filomena has widely exhibited her work, numerous drawing exhibitions, including the JADA Drawing Award, the Robert Jacks Drawing Award, the City of Banyule Drawing Award, and The Hutchins Drawing Prize, where she received a Judges' Selection in 2001. She also won the City of Hobart Art Prize in 1994.^[1]

She has received several grants, awards, and residencies throughout her career, such as Regional Arts Victoria Project Funding in 2012, a residency and part fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center in Vermont, USA.^[1] In 2004, an Ian Potter Foundation Individual Grant in 2001, an Arts Tasmania Development Grant in 1999, and the Rosamond McCulloch Scholarship to the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris in 1997.^[2]

Coppola five letter cinque lettere is a contemporary exploration of the post–World War II migration experience from Italy to the Mildura region. Through the perspective of artist Filomena Coppola—a daughter of migrants and part of the first generation born in Australia—the exhibition reflects on themes of migration, cultural identity, and belonging. The works celebrate the journeys of migrant communities, examine the impact of cultural loss, and convey the experience of living between the culture into which one is born and the heritage left behind by one's parents.

More than a personal narrative, the exhibition is a collaborative community project. Filomena engaged with local residents to create video and sound installations that capture the stories and experiences of three generations of immigrants who have made the area their home.t/^[3]

Her Works

Coloured pencil and pastel on paper

Where to From Here? marks a moment of transition, drawing a line between the past and a fresh beginning. The work evokes renewal through crisp light, emerging foliage, and the gentle presence of butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Combining the soft, velvety texture of pastel with the intricate detail of coloured pencil, the piece explores the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

The inclusion of the native blue-banded bee reflects an ongoing fascination with insects and their ecological significance. The work also engages with the cultural and historical contexts of wallpaper design and acknowledges the contributions of women in art through a reference to Maria Sibylla Merian’s cicada studies. Ultimately, the piece represents the emergence of new ideas and directions, serving as a foundation for further artistic exploration with coloured pencils.

five letters cinque lettere presents more than a decade of artistic practice produced in Mildura and Melbourne. The exhibition features major works, including Chasing the Disappeared, Mother Tongue, and Alpha Sound, alongside a collection of sculptural and stitched pieces. It is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue featuring an essay by Eliana Maestri, Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Exeter, UK.^[4]

The exhibition also includes a panel discussion titled five chapters, cinque capitoli – The Italian Diaspora and Creative Collaboration. The discussion brings together Eliana Maestri; Loredana Polezzi, Alfonse M. D’Amato Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies at Stony Brook University, USA; and Luci Callipari-Marcuzzo, a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, curator, writer, and arts worker based near Mildura, Victoria. Additionally, Fred L. Gardaphé, Distinguished Professor of English and Italian/American Studies at Queens College/CUNY and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, collaborates with Filomena Coppola in exploring themes of diaspora, identity, and creative exchange.

References