Isabella Perna’s artistic practice is an intricate fusion of movement, sound, mythology, and ritual. Rooted in a deep connection to nature, ancestry, and urban subcultures, the work unfolds through performance, music, and storytelling, weaving together tradition and transformation. From Southern Italian folklore to underground electronic music, from theatrical choreography to spoken word, each creation is an act of channeling—an offering to something greater, whether spirits, the sea, or the collective energy of a crowd.

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Does spirituality or a connection to something larger than yourself influence your creative process?  

I believe that we are absolutely connected to everything. We are that something larger. To me, the universe is a big, expanding dance made of different creatures. Animals, humans, plants, even rocks, have a vibration and carry a special kind of energy. Everything is alive. I like to hear their stories and see how they relate to mine.  What elements resonate, and what do they suggest? I love to listen to the voice of everything and find a creative way to channel it. Many times I feel I’m not even creating, I’m just carrying, delivering some kind of message. Starting from our bodies, I truly believe that there are spirits in our organs, made by the feelings that live in there, that ask us to be released or moved. Then, on the outside, we can see how this reflects into Nature and its present condition. There is a deep connection between what happens in our inner world and what develops in the present reality. As an artist, I like to dig deep into these dynamics, by transforming my emotions into another creature that takes part in this cosmic dance.  

How has your upbringing or cultural heritage shaped the themes and techniques you explore in your art today?

I always felt that my South Italian origins play a big role in who I am artistically speaking.  My mum comes from Altamura (Pulia), and my father’s family is from Naples. Even if I  was born and raised in North Italy, we always kept our traditions alive. I grew up seeing exaggerated gestures, huge familiar gatherings, colorful food and loud music.  My ancestors from my mother’s side are farmers, from whom I inherited a deep connection to Nature, the earth and the soil. I was raised in my grandma’s garden, making potions with my cousins, trying to spot fairies in her beautiful orchard and watching her take care of her flowers, baking and sewing. I was always enchanted by her hands, able to create so many things. She used to work for  Missoni as a tailor and whenever I design a costume for my performances I think of her. From my father’s side, I have a deep connection to the city of Naples. The sea, the buildings, the corners full of magic and legends, the noise, the masks. There, art belongs to the streets and this is what I love the most. It’s led by feelings and somehow there is still something pure and ancestral inside of it. A huge part of my artistic journey is oriented towards evolution and transformation, but in a grounded way, knowing our roots and our relationship with the earth and deciding to expand knowing where we come from. That’s also why I started researching Classical Mythology and I moved to Athens. There is something about this motherland that brings to the surface the stories stored in my DNA. It’s so powerful and cathartic that is hard to explain only using words.

Can you take us through the evolution of an artwork, from that first spark of inspiration to the finished piece? 

When I’m creating a performance, I always start by designing the costumes and preparing the scenography. Mostly, the spark comes from the street art I see around. Many times I walked through the streets of different cities, finding so many synchronicities in the graffiti and tags that helped me navigate through a concept. Other sources of inspiration are paintings, sculpture and architecture. When I’m working on the appearance of a character, I want to find the right shapes, colors and movements to represent it, so I often go to visit monuments or museums with my little sketchbook, where I draw everything that comes to my mind.  As soon as I have a clear image of what atmosphere and symbols will be present, I work with sound, starting to research the right songs. I love many different genres of music, from classical, to hip hop and rap, to electronic. This last one has a special hold on me and I  prefer to use it for a key moment, as a plot twist or a transformation scene, but it depends. In general, I make a reference playlist and get in tune with my imagination, while moving intuitively in my room or some secret spots around Athens. I keep some ideas of how to use my body in space and what I want to communicate. Sometimes I end up with a structured choreography, other times I keep some moves and combine them on stage improvising, other times again I just store the emotions and open up completely with no programmed actions. I like to follow the flow. Words come at last. When I visualize the whole piece, the character starts to speak to me.  Sometimes, it just doesn't, and I know that is using another language. It can be gestures or even silence. When it comes to songwriting, most of the time it just happens by itself. There is an external force that drives the pen. I think that some songs just circulate in the air. They find the right people to capture them and that’s how they survive through time.

Can art be truly therapeutic? Have you experienced its healing power personally, or seen it impact others?  

Honestly, I believe that art is one of the most effective therapies, at least it was for me. I am a diagnosed HSP, Highly Sensitive Person, meaning I have a neurodivergence that makes me have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional, or social stimuli. If I didn’t have art as a form of expression, I wouldn’t survive this reality. Not only because it helps me to release, but also because I can observe the complexity of my inner world by dealing with my creations. I think that art connects us to our unconscious, that’s why it is so powerful. As magic, it uses symbols and words that carry a specific psychic energy, which manifests also in our reality.  I saw this many times in the workshops that I organize, which connect performative and visual arts with astrological readings and philosophical consults. Most of the time, and the end of a session, the participants comment that it feels like therapy, and I think that whenever we are expressing what going on the inside, we are healing and changing our reality on the outside.

Do you have any rituals or habits that help you enter a creative state of flow?

When I write a story or a theatre play, I have to sit in a cafeteria with good music, have a big cappuccino with almond milk and cinnamon (the cinnamon is fundamental). I like to handwrite mostly and bring colorful pencils to change the mood with different shades. When I work with music, either by mixing or making songs, I love to be at the beach.  Firstly, I spend hours just singing and freestyling with the waves.W hen I get in tune with that, I open Rekordbox and let the magic happen. To create a choreography, I like to go to abandoned buildings. I love to dance there,  especially if there is complete silence. It’s like a portal out of time where I can give the best of me, exploring new moves and sequences.

If you could become one of your creations for a day, which would it be and why?

I think it would be “Lunastorta”, a song that is part of an album I’m working on. It tells the story of a mermaid captured by a surgeon who falls in love with her at first sight. In the beginning, he promises her that he will take her to museums and exhibitions, but when he hears her voice he gets so enchanted that he keeps her imprisoned in his bathtub. She keeps singing for him, hopeless and lost in pain. One day, her desperate voice finally gets heard from the sea, which goes to rescue her, drowning everything, and setting her free. I connect water with really deep and strong feelings and I’d like to summon them all, just for one day, to be taken away. I’d like to be free to express everything, not to stay trapped in the space that is commonly considered “ok” and “acceptable". I think our kind of society is terrified by uncontrolled emotions. Everything has to be performed as a technique or a machine. It doesn’t, it’s just broken. For one day, I’d like to forget that and just be a free mermaid.

Are there specific influences, experiments, or moments that marked a turning point in your artistic journey?

I think that one of the most significant moments of my artistic journey was my first rave. I  was fifteen or sixteen years old, I don’t remember really well. It was hidden in the forest close to Varese, in the North of Italy. There, I connected with the music in a completely different way. I was seeing people’s bodies moving hypnotically, without any fear or judgment and I just surrendered completely to that. I was coming from years and years of ballet and I realized I forgot how it was to actually feel my feet touching the ground. It was a completely new approach to dance and movement, which I found again later while researching popular ritual dances and somatic movements.  Another key moment, was when I understood I could rap on this kind of music. I was at a party alone in Spain and it was a really chaotic period of my life. My mind was tense and full, I couldn’t enjoy the music the way I wanted and it was so cold that my whole body was stuck, so I just put my head really close to the speaker and started to freestyle. Second epiphany. I saw how the same trance I had experimented with movement could be reached with the voice. I decided I wanted to experiment with that, and here we are now.  My inspirations as DJs and producers are several. I admire a lot of artists like Sara Landry- she has such a dark style and witchy vibe-or Marion Di Napoli, who makes her own vocals and created this gender called “mystical techno” which I love, combining ethereal sounds with powerful kicks. I feel that they and many others are changing the game, taking this music‘s purpose back to its origins. Another producer I love is Nokte. She is part of the Italian underground scene and every track she makes is so filled with emotion and power that brings me to another dimension. When I dance or mix or rap on this music, I feel like I’m transforming into something else.

What would the theme song of your artistic journey be, and how does it reflect your story?

Probably Acida by Prozac +, an Italian punk band that talks about an acid trip experience, in which the singer describes the feeling of being connected to everything. There is a special quote that I love:” I feel as big as a city”. That is the sensation I have when I’m working on an art piece. Making art made me explore the suburbs and the most hidden places of my soul. There are so many buildings and streets inside of my being that I’m able to visit while moving through the world outside. Whatever form of expression I choose, it always makes me reach a state of trance, of flow, that allows me to navigate through myself. It makes me feel like I’m going through another state of perception.  

How do you envision the evolution of your work in the coming years? Are there any upcoming projects or dreams that you’re particularly excited about?

For sure I want to improve my mixing skills and experiment more with singing. I’m planning to study music production, which lately has been calling me a lot.  For sure, I want to be able to put all the artistic disciplines I like together, which I’m trying to do with my upcoming projects. I’m completing a trilogy of cyber fantasy books which I started to write in 2019. It connects free party culture, magic esoteric knowledge and a special approach to tarot through the development of the characters. Many underground artists from all over the world are working on its illustrations and music productions and I’m really proud and grateful for it.  Musically speaking, I’m working on an album called “Ninnananne per gli insonni”  (Lullabies for the sleepless), an ode to the night and its people, which blends rap, poetry and electronic music. One of my biggest dreams, which is in part being realized, is to connect international artists to combine art production with magical practice, creating events where we can exchange knowledge, vision, intentions and energies.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave in the art world?

I hope to be able to create a bridge between our cultural roots and our global evolution, by representing and exploring this transformation through different approaches and artistic media. I want to reconnect to ancestral practices, symbols and imagery with the new technological tools that we have. I also wish to transmit an important message to all artists and creators, especially to the ones that feel that they don’t fit in: just love yourself, love your creations and honor your journey, even when it’s painful.  You are who you are for a reason. Your art is a gift to the world. You can do whatever you want, have courage. You don’t need a label to have an identity. You can have many talents and projects, but it doesn’t mean you are confused. It means you are powerful. Enjoy the ride,  change skin, change medium, and let the process surprise you. You are not alone and I love you.

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At its core, Isabella Perna’s work is about breaking barriers—between disciplines, between past and future, between self and the world. Whether through a haunting melody, a trance-like dance in an abandoned building, or a lyrical narrative that blurs reality and fantasy, Isabella's artistic journey is one of expansion and defiance.