Ivrea _ Galleria Ferrero Contemporary Art _ November 2017/January 2018
Anthological exhibition
I first met Daniele Basso nearly two years ago. We were introduced to his friend Aureo, an adorable creature which is actually a nib-bird, a mirror-polished steel and blue paint sculpture, created in 2016 for the Officina della Scrittura (the Writing Workroom) in Turin, a museum promoted and founded by Cesare Verona, which houses many outstanding artworks inspired by the concept of sign and writing, among other significant works and objects.
Daniele is both an artist and a poet. He created such profoundly poetical artworks as "Plis De La Vie", “Motherhood” and “Child”, which are noteworthy for their feminine elegance, love for life and nature.
I am really pleased to be the curator of Basso’s first personal exhibition in Ferrero Gallery in Ivrea, which undoubtedly represents a beacon and an extremely interesting exhibition setting where artists who are particularly noted for their continuous research into the most diverse materials and techniques display their artwork.
The use of mirror-polished white bronze and steel with folded inserts allows Daniele to create both small-sized and big-sized artwork, unique in the Italian contemporary art scene, such as the “Twisted Christ”, "Gigant" (a monument created for Alta Badia’s 30th anniversary) and "Achill", to name but a few.
Light is an essential component in the Biella artist’s work, shining all through the wall-mount abstract mirrored artwork set, characterized by a specific choice of materials to convey the artist’s core concept – from warm, soft cocooning felt to wood, which is both a pliable material and a supporting element, a sort of life’s girder.
The "Vertical Reflection" project is a symbol of the research into new and old dimensions, the present and the future interpreted through moving shapes. These works acquire a central position in space and become essential and factual icons, connected to everyday life and its variety of suggestions.
Basso’s artwork is never trivial and commonplace, or moving along a clear-cut path, as it is the unique innermost expression of the artist’s soul, imagination and talent.
(Ermanno Tedeschi - November 2017)
“When laying out my first personal exhibition at Ferrero Gallery in Ivrea, which is not far from my hometown, I imagined a walk through the various creative seasons in my career. Thus I created a path around the mirrored surfaces that, since my first art project, Web Icon, have gradually acquired a 3D quality through my experience in Milan, Rome, St. Petersburg, Dubai, Atlanta and New York as well as my latest project, Vertical Reflection, which is also simultaneously exhibited at the 57th International Art Biennale in Venice. This path also includes sculpting as I applied the unique technique of modelling hand-polished welded steel as well as betterknown methods such as lost-wax white-bronze casting. This route is marked by emotions, feelings and thoughts around life and its meaning, searching for symbols we can identify and empathize with, to get lost in dreams of a better future”.
(Daniele Basso - November 2017)