It is not easy to define Umberto Dattola and his work. He is a woodworker getting his hands dirty to make unique furniture in his carpentry workshop. But his creations are artworks, too. Umberto would not call himself an artist. “I would rather say designer,” he suggests. And then he explains: “Contemporary art is very self-centred. My aim is to translate abstract feelings and emotions into everyday objects that you can use and touch." Consistency and concreteness derive from his family background, where art was never considered to be a suitable professional path. It is no coincidence that Umberto took a degree in Economics before realising that it was not his path. That is when he remembered how much he had enjoyed building things as a child, and when he decided to enroll in a school for decorative furniture making.
Umberto Dattola
