While working in fashion briefly in his early twenties, Fede started painting for himself in his spare time and his work was soon discovered by a gallerist. Showing in galleries meant that he could go freelance which enabled him to move to Bali, a place he’d always wanted to live. Federico will always feel fortunate that he was good enough to end up in galleries quite quickly, but when he reflects back on his early years as a painter, he can see that he made many mistakes. 

“I was very naive. I didn’t think about becoming a painter,” Fede says. “You develop this idea based on something and then you realize it actually isn’t working.”

Reflecting back on a time when he was invited to exhibit in New York as a young artist, he remembers being so enamored with the idea of showing there that he lost sight of his vision. He’d accepted an opportunity where the commission was based on some of his old work, and it was a style he’d put to rest. 

“Why am I this disconnected from the work—why do I feel like this? I realized it was a closed chapter,” Fede says. “It’s a little bit like suddenly your ex of ten years ago comes back and you think, ‘just because she’s an ex, it’s going to be the love of your life.’ But it’s just an old story. There is no more love. I was excited to have the opportunity to have a show in New York and I was too insecure to say, ‘I’m not painting this anymore, I’m doing this instead.’ But I compromised. It was like a double-edged sword.”

Federico leans into experiences like these—they help him to recognize how important it is for him to remain true to himself so that he can keep creating good art. 

Now, I try to be honest—I do what I feel,” Fede says. “And then, obviously, where there is a commission, I’ll get the feeling that the collector is going to have expectations and I have to please the client. But I have to also be strong enough to say, ‘hey, listen, I have a little bit of free will here.’”