Ronch the artist with a unique brand of Magical Realism

Stefano Ronchi also known as Ronch is an Italian artist known for his unique brand of what he calls Magical Realism. His artworks are deep imaginative dives into his unconscious. Featuring dark and light themes, it is quite possible to get lost in the intricacy of his artworks.

Ronch is an Italian artist based in the East End of London. He is known for a style he describes as Magical Realism

Sarabande

Called ‘Sarabande’ his exhibition at BSMT Space is named after a dance. Once banned for its perceived obscenity. It found a renaissance when Handel re-imagined it to turn it into one of the Baroques most popular pieces of music. Originating in Central America it had become popular as a dance in the Spanish colonies. Making its way to Europe it was regarded as scandalous.

Artwork from Ronch taking influences for the everyday and the fantastical

Interview with Ronch

An interview with Ronch as part of our Artists of the East End series

Dark and Light

Speaking with Ronch it becomes obvious that the Sarabande is a metaphor for his art. Scandalous, evolving, enlightening, light and dark. Different people will have different takes and alternative thoughts on the worlds he creates. It’s quite possible to look into an artwork and see something different each time. As the Sarabande transformed so too does Ronch’s artwork.

Ronch’s work stems from nightmare and the confronting of them

Unconscious Mind

Ronch is an artist who draws on dream states, who confronts his nightmares and who blends them with his current reality. Interactions experienced in the past mix with things seen in his everyday. They are always there playing around in the unconscious. Revealing themselves only as the shapes start to appear on the page and an image starts to form.

Ronch at work in his studio. Some of the detail is so fine he needs to work through a magnifying glass

Research for Life

It’s an approach that he’s been evolving and developing for years. He describes it in educational terms. As a kind of research for a PHD. A life’s work that is constantly evolving and developing. He shudders at the thought that his art might be seen as the same as what he did 10 years ago. For Ronch his artwork is a constant adventure, consistent evolution that needs to be seen in the growth of his work.

Sketchbooks containing much of Ronch’s development as an artist will be on display at BSMT Space

Alternative Inspirations

Punk and alternative music and bands such as Korn and NOFX are important areas of influence for Ronch. Those along with the work of Dali and Italian artists such as Agostino Arrivabene. They all form a distinct theme of flow. Whether music or art they can always surprise with the direction they head into. That constant experimentation and the not knowing where a piece will go sits well his style of working. “the fun part is that I have no idea” he says. “I’m not like the filmmaker who knows how it starts and how it ends. I just know how it starts”.

Layered with Detail

Such is the detail within Ronch’s work he will often need to work with a visor on which a lens is attached. Using super fine brushes each image is then layered with detail. “I like people to travel inside” he tells me. To explore and discover and then to explore and discover even more. He describes each work as a cycle. Something for the viewer to keep coming back to. Perhaps changing their mind or their opinion each time and always taking something different away.

SARABANDE is an exhibition by RONCH at BSMT Space gallery. It opens with a private view on September 7th. The exhibition runs from September 8th to September 24th. All artwork images in this post have been provided by Ronch and from BSMT Space.