Artist Statement
Cristina Pacciani was born in Florence, Italy, in 1968. After studying languages and building a successful academic career as a teacher and interpreter, a scholarship brought her to Amsterdam in 1991 — and a dramatic change of life with it. She left academia behind to become what she had always dreamt of being: an artist.
She practises the art of living and lives her art. Today she paints largely with her hands — rarely with a brush — in water-based and often self-made paints and watercolours, following the natural flow of colour and the introspective pull of nature. Her urge to express in colour is combined with the pleasure of writing and of taking photographs.
From Italy to the Netherlands
In 1992 Cristina opened her own studio in Amsterdam, specialising in frescoes, paintings and restorations. After several years of working in mixed media she began producing handmade felt, becoming fascinated by the versatility of the medium. She made pieces for local businesses, taught at various locations, and experimented passionately with fibres — work that would later draw the interest of fashion designers in Italy and France.
The Arlecchino Project
When her Amsterdam studio and shop burned down in 2010, Cristina turned misfortune into fortune. From the remains of earlier work she created The Modern Goddess, a felt statue dedicated to feminine creativity, which won a prize at the National Art Days in Amsterdam. It led to the founding of The Arlecchino Project — an ongoing worldwide collaboration in which more than 350 participants sent textile contributions from around the globe, woven together into vast colourful felt panels. The project is still growing today.
Transition
In 2020 Cristina closed her Amsterdam studio, moved out of the city and returned to painting on canvas, beginning a more introspective journey in solitude and close to nature. She has travelled to far destinations — Japan, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Mexico and French Polynesia — studying colour and the flow of nature with renewed awe. She now combines travel with occasional masterclasses for other artists, exhibitions, and the cultivation of inspiring connections worldwide.
Exhibitions
- 2016
- Look Again — Birth in the Amsterdamse Bos — giant felt birthing ball, The Netherlands
- 2015
- Wool Ways — opening presentation, OBA Amsterdam
- 2014
- I Colori di Gaia — solo exhibition, Italian Institute of Culture, Amsterdam
- 2013
- The Arlecchino Project — Biblioteca del Palagio di Parte Guelfa, Florence
- 2013
- National Art Days — Amsterdam (Third Prize)
- 2009–2012
- 100 Artists — annual exhibition, WG Art, Amsterdam
- 2009
- Lo Stile dello Zar — Textile Museum of Prato, Italy
- 2007–2009
- De Smaak van Italië — solo exhibitions & artist in residence, De Haar Castle, The Netherlands
- 2007
- Galerie Mira Dissen — Bergen, The Netherlands
Get in touch — info@cristinapacciani.nl