Exhibitions & Events:
Venice_ Palazzo Contarini Polignac _"Luce & Pensieri" Daniele Basso and Paolo Amico Exhibition - curator Ermanno Tedeschi _ October 4th / November 24th, 2017
La Morra_ Poderi Gianni Gagliardo _"Filari di Luce" Daniele Basso and Dado Schapira Exhibition - curator Ermanno Tedeschi _ October 9th / November 12th, 2017
Project
The project "Vertical Reflection", artworks in steel, felt and wood, investigates vertical modernity meeting horizontal tradition, fast-paced fashion versus the paralysis of conventions, the boundary between private and public dimensions, trends and beliefs. “A Vertical Reflection of thoughts and hints that metaphorically mark the stages of man’s journey in search for the meaning of life. At first Colour – surface, questions. Then Shapes: research, commitment, choice. Then again Matter: answers, individual certainties”. This artistic creation is an encouragement to reach awareness and test our limits, which represent the evolutionary heritage of society as a whole, trace the boundaries of change and disclose the future of mankind, defining the meaning of life and our own existence.
1_CAOS: Colour, Identity
Colour covers all surfaces, it is a feeling, an impression. Hence the use of rich, pure colours and the obsessive repetition of a single volume - apparently working on modularity, crushing variety, through the human gesture of a brush stroke – expresses joy and emotion, to claim that individuals are only part of society through their own identities, which make each city multiethnic, cosmopolitan and unique. Personal identity embodies fondness and memories that are powerfully conveyed by the concept of Home through warm, emotionally-charged felt, a symbol of personal cohesion, sheltering everybody’s soul and love.
2_ORDER: Shape, Choice
Shape moulds matter, organizes space, models boundaries. It is discussion, communication, clash, a choice between apparent opposites: man and nature, softness and hardness, interior and exterior, dark and light. It is research, pondering and commitment for each of us to find our own place in the world and express our identity. It embodies the taste of modern society, so the softness of hand-worked felt interacts with wood, nature and the environment, expressing the developing world and the ensuing development of men, partially conscious of their direction, yet determined to move forward.
3_ COMPLEXITY: Matter, Substance
Matter is substance, the essence and meanings arising from research, with unavoidably partial results, just like volumes jutting out of the mirrored surface, in an endless game of doubles between real and virtual, known and unknown… while still being solid, reliable and grounded. Matter represents self-awareness, being aware of our limits. Abilities, skills and knowledge are joined in a 3D experience, in a complex dimension where the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts, where we find our place in the bosom of society and establish relationships with other individuals who recognize and accept us. Matter is wisdom, a place we can call Home, life lived to the fullest.
SCULPTURES
The Vertical Reflection sculptures enhance the whole project with a new spatial position. These works conquer the centrality of space and the all-round vision they provide comes together with a more complex relation with the viewer: from the privileged single point of view towards multiple perspectives., in a more real and concrete dimension, close to daily experiences and the variety of life.
The mirroring surfaces, which are placed inside the formal geometric construction of the work, offer a totally new point of view. No longer external, but internal. Reflected in the mirror elements, we find ourselves to be an active part of this whole that is chaotic yet ordered. Actors playing within complexity, we must learn to master it to survive.
As we become aware of our individuality within the community, we transform individual experiences into collective ones. A practical and concrete interpretation of life, as we all know it, that approaches the artwork to reality. In this context, rusted metal (a new material together with wood) is the concrete expression of time in space. Manifestation of the few really significant experiences in life. Lessons learnt that, between pain and revelation, are indelibly written on our skin as the most important events in our life. Strong emotions and profound sensations unveiling unescapable truths on ourselves, the others and the world, for us to see.
The sculptures of the Vertical Reflection project do not indicate a path, but are the path itself. Articulated or simple, geometric or asymmetrical, they are 3D photographs of our instinct to grow, explore and improve.
Spatial representations of lived lives, as the artist has imagined them, almost waiting for someone who will interpret and select them instinctively ... beyond reason... with a possession that is mental first, then real. Symbols of awareness and identity where to recognize both ourselves and our existence through the instinct of beauty. Symbols that will become personal as soon as you see them. They get into your soul. Metaphors of variety that is at the base of life itself, of dialogue and growth of the whole Humanity. Symbols that help us identify our place within Humanity. Our dimension. Unique. Powerful. Unavoidable!