In 1970 he studied at the Architect School STS of Trevano, but left after a year realizing that the intensive technical studies were not going to be his real calling. He then joined in 1971 in Lugano the School of Art CSIA, where he got trained with some of the best contemporary artists and teachers of Switzerland
1973 he then won the second prize for sculpture at the Villa Saroli Exhibition, fo
llowed by the Bariffi Prize for his 3’15 m. sculpture, exhibited at the Congress House of Lugano
Marco traveled all over the world, from Oregon to California, from New York to Sydney and from Singapore to Hong Kong, exhibiting a variety of new styles of work in many countries. He now lives in Switzerland, works in his two ateliers in Zurich and Magadino in Ticino. In 2003 and 2004 he won the second price of the Landfall Art Center recycling art competition in Alberoni, Lido di Venezia, Italy. In 2013 he won the Kunst Forum International Award. Giollo’s art is concerned with beauty and a peaceful, silent space of meditation. It is this dimension, in stark contrast to the art-worlds ’pretensions' of constant ‘novelty’ and ‘meaning’, which he hopes to share. As he says:
"For me painting is a meditative act
When I paint I am totally lost in the act of painting. It is a ’no- mind’ experience. What I am left with afterwards is a canvas that wants to go, wants to make someone or someplace happy. When that happens I feel honored and grateful; I feel I gave a little something, a little beauty to the world."
...
I am using recycling materials, plaster, mix media and strong colors on canvas. I collect waste materials around the house and mix it with old jewelry, embroidery and old beadworks I buy at local flee-markets on my travels to Asia. With that I let go and create interesting free floating compositions of forms and colors. My message is how to transform ugliness into beauty,
darkness into light ...
some sort of alchemy. Symbolically outwardly - is a recycle message, an eco-statement: Use waste more creatively to make this planet a beautiful place. Inwardly and - very importantly - it is about transforming our inner selves, the gross negative emotions into their essential qualities, trough awareness and meditation. I just love to do that ...
perfect imperfections ...
beautiful and uplifting creations ...
light, clean and crisp atmospheres ..." Giollo also works with comics and graphic novels. One of these is an 80 pages color book title: The Mystic Rose and The Magic of The Empty Chair.
