10 Questions with Pietro Luca Faedda - SOME

Pietro Luca Faedda, also known by the artistic name SOME, is a contemporary artist and graphic designer based in Italy. With a passion for outsider art, he has built a reputation for his thought-provoking works that blend traditional techniques with modern concepts. SOME’s artwork spans various mediums, including canvas, spray paint, stencils, and mixed media, drawing inspiration from street culture, the underground scene, and personal experiences. Known for his sharp social commentary, he uses his art as a platform to challenge conventions, particularly within the realms of consumerism, psychiatry, and societal expectations.

Over the years, SOME has exhibited his work at local galleries. He has sold over 60 large and medium-sized canvases to collectors, including private clients, art venues, and other creatives. His work has been featured on his website and Instagram account @someoneyelling, where he shares both his completed pieces and works in progress, further building a loyal online following.

SOME’s creations blend digital and analog elements, inviting the viewer to explore intricate layers of meaning and emotion. He aims to provoke thought and spark conversation, especially surrounding issues that challenge both personal identity and societal norms.

someoneyelling.com | @someoneyelling

ARTIST STATEMENT

SOME’s artwork is a reflection of the world he navigates — a world filled with paradoxes, contradictions, and moments of quiet rebellion. Through his pieces, he seeks to explore the complexities of the human condition and the pervasive influence of contemporary culture. His work often critiques societal norms, particularly the way in which the pharmaceutical industry and consumerism shape our lives.

Utilizing a mix of vibrant colors, graffiti-inspired techniques, and bold imagery, SOME’s art communicates powerful narratives. His approach is unapologetic, unafraid to confront difficult subjects such as mental health, identity, and social control. At the core of his practice is an exploration of freedom — the freedom to express, to challenge, and to transcend.

SOME’s art is for those who seek not just to look but to understand. It’s an invitation to break down walls, both personal and societal, and to engage with the world in a deeper, more meaningful way.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you, and how did you start experimenting with art?

I’m an artist from Sassari, Sardinia. I have a diploma in advertising graphics and a mini degree in web design and advertising. My journey with art began around the age of 9 when I started copying Dragon Ball and Ranma manga. I kept drawing until I was 14, when I got into graffiti. Around the age of 30, I started experimenting with stencils. My tag, "SOME," has been with me since I was 14, from my graffiti days, and some friends even call me by that name. And I never stopped drawing.

Your work is deeply influenced by street culture and the underground scene. How did these influences shape your artistic identity?

I’ve always been drawn to street culture. I have a small Supreme collection, including decks and stickers, and I enjoy today's trap music, though I grew up listening to 2000s hip-hop and rap. As I mentioned before, I was deeply into graffiti between the ages of 14 and 20, then continued sporadically. I still make sure to tag in the streets.   Unfortunately, I didn’t document much from that period, but I had a lot of fun. I’m also passionate about non-fiction literature that explores money, branding, advertising, and psychological dynamics. Topics like consumerism, product positioning, and how we relate to objects—whether luxury or low-value items—fascinate me. These elements shape a perceived identity and create an invisible world of communication that influences how we see ourselves and others.

You use a mix of traditional and modern techniques, from spray paint to digital elements. How do you decide which medium best fits a particular piece?

I usually start by experimenting digitally. If a piece still convinces me even after years, I eventually bring it to life in a physical form. But overall, my approach is all about trying things out—I have more than 300 unpublished sketches.
I started in 2016 by making commissioned prints and flyers using the same technique I already had in mind for stencils. That led me to work on my own projects. My first real sketch turned into a painting in 2020, inspired by Dark Polo Gang (an Italian trap group). Even today, I use the stencil style, first developed digitally, to collaborate with an art director who commissions my work.

Your art often challenges conventions, particularly around consumerism and psychiatry. What first drew you to these themes, and why are they important to you?

In 2016, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia after committing an act of vandalism on a monument, which was medically classified as a "substance-induced delusional episode." However, this episode was not simply the result of substance use,but rather the consequence of pharmacological dependence, which had altered my mental state. The news even made it to ansa.it. As a result, I was coerced into taking antipsychotic medication—despite doctors themselves admitting that, given my constitution, the prescribed dose was useless and that I would theoretically need triple the amount.
This made me realize what Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes in Antifragile: doctors operate under a bureaucratic risk where their main concern is liability. If a patient dies or acts recklessly, they could be held responsible for not prescribing a drug, even if that drug is ineffective. So, to protect themselves, they prescribe anything, even if useless, just to cover their own backs.
That said, maybe I am schizophrenic—but as Minkowski states in La Schizofrenia and as R.D. Laing explores in The Divided Self, artists with schizophrenia deserve a category of their own. In psychiatry, they couldn’t even believe I was the one creating my own paintings—they dismissed the idea entirely in their little conversation circles.

You describe your work as a form of quiet rebellion. What role do you think art plays in questioning societal norms?

Art serves as a way to spark discussion or at least provide input on issues that mainstream morality tends to censor or only superficially accept. I recall a painting by Cattelan—if I remember correctly—that briefly appeared on European platforms but was actually made for the Japanese market. It dealt with pedophilia in a provocative way, but the next day, I couldn’t find it anymore—perhaps it was censored. It could have been an opportunity to normalize uncomfortable topics like this, or schizophrenia, for example, which are often treated as undesirable behaviors within a societal framework that prioritizes normalization. But I believe that being "normal" is the most boring thing in the world—just ordinary, where nothing extra-ordinary ever happens.

Mental health is a recurring theme in your pieces. How does your art engage with this subject, and what kind of conversations do you hope to spark

I think that if my art had a purpose, it would be to help myself and others rediscover their creative or feminine side—or become more self-aware— something often dismissed as useless or unnecessary, yet it is what brings us closer to our deepest, most authentic selves. This society deems only the rational side as valid, using the excuse that it is more "scientific," but in doing so, it suppresses the other half—the feminine, creative, or unconscious aspect—the one that makes us less obedient and less like mere executors.
A quick look around is enough to see how psychiatry aims to normalize the entire spectrum of human behavior by labeling it as illness rather than recognizing it as psychological dynamics. At the same time, the Church presents us with a male figure—therefore rational—embodying a totalitarian idea of masculinity, a father-master model that says, "I give you free will, but if you don’t follow exactly what I say, you burn in hell." Is that really freedom?

Your bold use of color and graffiti-inspired techniques make your work instantly recognizable. How did you develop this visual language?

My creative process starts primarily from a photo. Even though I’ve reduced my digital production in recent years, I’ve created around 300 pieces since 2016—not all of them are valid, of course. For now, I want to focus on producing the ones I’ve already made digitally. What makes me decide to turn an idea into a canvas is, first and foremost, whether it’s fun for me and if it has something true to say

You’ve successfully sold over 60 canvases and built a strong online presence. How has social media influenced your relationship with collectors and your audience?

Social media are definitely useful for keeping buyers and interested people updated. So far, I’ve mainly sold locally or to buyers living abroad who I originally knew from my city.
There’s no shortage of connections, but many end up backing out. I’d like to build a stronger presence by investing in promotions and reaching more buyers. Having more followers also changes how people perceive what they’re purchasing—if I sell to someone in my city, it’s a direct exchange, but if I sell to someone elsewhere, they’re buying into my name, not just the person behind it. That’s why followers matter.

Many of your pieces critique the impact of contemporary culture. Do you ever feel conflicted about participating in the art market while challenging consumerism?

I don’t actually challenge consumerism or capitalism—I provoke it in its oddities. Going against it still means walking hand in hand with the system, just in opposition.
In my personal life, I’m a collector myself, both of collectibles and street art pieces I like. I recently resold a Chris Boyle piece for much more than I originally paid. I also invest in stocks, and out of necessity, I’ve studied finance extensively alongside psychiatry.

Lastly, how do you see your work evolving in the coming years? Do you have any series, new medium, or long-term project you would like to share with our readers?

I will definitely change my biography and my work as a result of freeing myself from an unjust diagnosis and unnecessary medication. So, there will certainly be new developments in line with what I experience.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.