Even to an inexperienced eye it is clear, in the painting by Hans Holbein Hans Holbein the Young The Ambassadors, that something does not seem right. Between the two elegant standing figures there is an elongated object, deformed, incoherent with sense and reality of the scene, with its perspective. It is only guided by those who know its secret of moving to the side, that the inconsistent wake turns into a skull, a memento mori transforming the meaning of the whole picture. It is the magic of anamorphosis anamorphosis, an illusion, a deception of subjective perception like those that Francesco Francesco Tesei tells us, our personal guide through the art of mentalism of which he is one of the main exponents. What personal and professional path has brought you to mentalism? As a child I fell in love with illusionism, and as a boy I transformed that passion into a job that got me allowed to travel the world with my shows for about fifteen years. Growing up, however, I felt I was not fully satisfied with what could be artistically transmitted through the tools of illusionism. I returned to Italy and through a personal journey - including Ericksonian hypnosis Ericksonian hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming - I realized how much communication and psychology were equally 'magical' worlds, but definitely more fascinating, for an adult, than classical illusionism’s own fairy tales, made of rabbits in the hat and cut in half assistants. I found my personal way out in mentalism, which inherits the pleasure of surprising the public from illusionism, but at the same time it does not invite does not invite people to close their eyes and dream, but to keep them wide open and possibly wake up, discovering in a fun and spectacular way the deceptions and illusions of the mind. The mind, in fact. Your main working tool, I would say. What is the weight of the mind and which is that of the heart, conceived as pursuit of an atypical passion, in the construction of a career that today led you to be considered the most famous Italian mentalist? Let's face it: if I had craved celebrity, intended as popularity, I would have sought a career in pop music and not in mentalism, which still represents a niche. Illusionism before, and then mentalism, were truly unusual options, that led me to get more and more involved, because unconsciously I felt I had to prove through concrete results that my choices were targeted and could turn into a profession. Everyone says Follow your passions!, then when you try to do it they tell you What are you doing? Try to be more realistic in life!. I believe that from this contradiction some anxieties arise, accompanying many young people in search of their own way: they feel the burden of having to find an economically satisfying, but at the same time also exciting, job. Perhaps this problem stems from a starting error: passion is not something we have to find out, but something we have to put in. The result of this change of perspective is that it is it is not we who have to follow passion, but it is passion that has to follow us. And this simple thought can be liberating. Allow me one human curiosity: improving the art of mentalism has also changed your way to interact with people in everyday life, or how people relate to you? [smiling] I guess this question arises from the idea that a mentalist, capable on stage of reading people’s minds, should have relationships different from normal, maybe some kind of "advantage". In truth, no more than those possessed by a communication expert, a psychologist or a psychotherapist. Indeed I believe that my work has worsened my relationships in everyday life. In private life sometimes I can come across distant, detached, impenetrable, asocial. This happens because I tend to be completely absorbed in my thoughts, my studies and projects. Those who think what I do is fruit of "a gift" are very much mistaken. Instead, behind what I do, there is a fusion of communication, psychology communication, psychology and illusionism, then everything must be transformed into a show for which I take care of texts, direction, music, and in which I leave room also for improvisation, in moments of interaction with the spectators I call to play with E =O 109 #E = O curated by Stefano Santangelo
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDUzNDc=