ART WITHOUT FILTER: CALL ME TETI

Matteo Piccolo aka Call Me Teti is irreverent and light-hearted. He is an artist loaded with instinct who says things as they are without much complication; his art is a strong raw message to the viewer. Teti does not seek to please anyone, but to express what he feels and often plays with the humor that comes with everyday life, writing messages that make him empathic with deep-seated situations.

For me, art is a way of expressing myself. I'm really shy, a person of few words, art for me is expressing what I have inside without filters. It is definitely something more than just a passion or a job.

Hello Teti, how are you?

Hi, I’m fine thanks.

Where did you grow up? Tell us about the place. What’s your most fond memory of that place ?

I grew up in Buccinasco in the southern suburbs of Milan. It is a dormitory town, not very stimulating. The fondest memory is definitely the electric room where I made my first drawing when I was 10 years old with a black spray can that we were using to repaint a stolen bicycle.

Let’s go back to the beginning. What was the trigger, which led you to choose being an artist as a profession?

Good question. I don't think there was a real reason. It wasn't a thoughtful choice. Maybe it was supposed to be like this.

Is art just a passion, your job or something more for you?

For me, art is a way of expressing myself. I'm really shy, a person of few words, art for me is expressing what I have inside without filters. It is definitely something more than just a passion or a job.

"When you talk on the phone with a person and you have a pen in your hand and without thinking you write on the paper; those scribbles are made by your subconscious."

What is your creative process like ? A lot of artists struggle with their creative process. Is that right about you as well?

My creative process is very simple but at the same time complicated. It's simple because most of the ideas come from automatic anxious feelings, and complicated because I have to translate all these thoughts. I face the canvas with the roller in my hand and the ideas in my mind, in the form of quick flashes to rebuild – I let myself be carried away by the moment.

You work quite extensively with basic geometric shapes, like lines, squares and circles. Tell us a bit about your particular style.

I called the geometric figures that I draw axonometry, they are those shapes that you make when you talk on the phone with a person and you have a pen in your hand and without thinking you write on the paper; those scribbles are made by your subconscious and for me they are the most profound thing you can do. I've been doing these shapes since I was a child, I'm fascinated by what you can draw when you don't think. I like them so much that I replicate them on everything. Then the beautiful thing is that each person sees what they want in them.

If we took everything for granted, especially in art, it would just be boring. We all grew up with a painting of some landscape or still life in our living room, right? How boring it is to see it every day.

What inspires you?

The brain is like a sponge, it absorbs information and rejects it in the form of ideas, mixing everything. I'm inspired by everything that my eyes see.

What are the emotions or message you want to convey through your work, if any?

I like to make people curious, make them think. I never give explanations about what my drawings mean because I want the viewers to interpret my works with their imagination. If we took everything for granted, especially in art, it would just be boring. We all grew up with a painting of some landscape or still life in our living room, right? How boring it is to see it every day. How cool instead is it to look at a work and see something different every day?

Did you believe in your art before gaining the recognition you now have in the art world and social media?

I've always believed in it no matter what or who.

How does that make you feel? What is your message in all that you do?

Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard Work hard work hard always smile.

If you could advice someone that wants to express his or her art, what would you say?

Try new techniques, be original, don't care what other people say and fuck people who laugh at the things you do.

Do you consider yourself a trend? Yes, no and why is that?

No, I don't think so, but even if I did, I apologize, I didn't mean to.

What are your future plans?

In these difficult times it's really complicated to make plans. We'll see. Surely in the near future I would like to organize an exhibition to show the latest works and maybe start a personal photographic project. For now I'm having fun with augmented reality.

Lastly, what does DARE mean to you?

For me Dare is giving without expecting anything in return. It is pure or maybe not. In the end, Dare is like the things I draw, "malice is in the eye of the beholder". Okay, guys, I'm gonna stop ranting.

To follow more of Teti's work visit his instagram.

Written by

Karla Zesati

Photos courtesy of

Teti