TRANSCENDING EARTH
opening 27.09.2024
dates 27.09.2024 – 26.10.2024
Rosai Art and Zuecca Projects are proud to present TRANSCENDING EARTH, a group exhibition in Florence held in conjunction with the 33rd edition of BIAF – the International Biennial of Antiques of Florence. Curated by Balthazar Piero Rosai and Alessandro Possati, the exhibition features works by six internationally acclaimed artists: Ioan Sbârciu, Riccardo Guarneri, Virginia Zanetti, Patrizio Landolfi, Bernardo Tirabosco, and Giovanna Bianco.
TRANSCENDING EARTH delves into the concept of nature and landscape as mirrors of human experience, exploring the relationship between humanity and the environment through a diverse array of mediums, techniques, and expressive languages. The artists move beyond traditional depictions of nature, probing the deep connections between the tangible and intangible, the visible and the unseen.
Ioan Sbârciu (1948), one of Romania’s most significant contemporary painters, contributes with a selection of works from his renowned series, including Cinder Forest. In this series, Sbârciu transforms the devastation of deforestation into a poetic meditation on lost nature, incorporating the ashes of burnt trees into the pigments of his canvases. Sbârciu’s landscapes are not mere representations of natural scenes but evocative renderings of intimate memories and a lost paradise, revealing the emotional and spiritual bond between humanity and nature. His technique balances between figuration and abstraction, creating monumental works that expand the notion of the inner landscape.
Riccardo Guarneri (1933), a key figure in Analytical Art, presents a selection of historic works from the 1960s and 1970s, in which light takes center stage. Through progressive chromatic simplification, Guarnieri explores transparency and luminosity, crafting nearly immaterial surfaces dominated by white, representing a mental rather than a physical landscape. His works, steeped in reflections on the nature of light, invite viewers to contemplate what lies beyond the visible.
The exhibition also features the work Abissi (Abysses) and photographs from the series I Pilastri della Terra (The Pillars of the Earth) by Virginia Zanetti (1981). In I Pilastri della Terra, nature becomes a space for collective and spiritual action. Zanetti’s performances aim to reshape perceptions of the natural and social world, fostering a new dialogue between individuals and the environment. In these performances, participants perform handstands in symbolic locations, metaphorically becoming the “pillars” that support the Earth – a gesture reflecting the desire to rethink our connection with nature and to foster a new communal ethic.
Patrizio Landolfi (1954), recognized for his chromatic fragmentation technique, explores human emotions through color. His abstract works on display depict nature as pure energy, where color serves as the vehicle for conveying everyday sensations in a continuous, dynamic flow of light and movement. Landolfi’s paintings express a visceral connection with the natural world, engaging the viewer not only visually but also on a sensory level.
Bernardo Tirabosco (1991) pushes the boundaries of materials, experimenting with both organic and inorganic substances such as wax, iron, and lead. His work exists between sculpture and installation, creating pieces that interact with the exhibition space and with nature itself, as though they were extensions of the surrounding landscape. Tirabosco approaches matter not only as an expressive medium but as the source of the creative process itself, exploring the fine line between what is visible and what remains concealed.
Giovanna Bianco (1988) concludes the exhibition with works that translate non-verbal language into visual form, seeking a silent dialogue with the natural world. Her deeply introspective artistic exploration delves into the void created by societal conventions and seeks to bridge it through the beauty and fluidity of nature, embodying her intimate connection with the environment.
TRANSCENDING EARTH
September 27 – October 26 2024
Piazza Carlo Goldoni 2, Lungarno Corsini, 50123 Florence
Thu-Fri-Sat, 10.30 am – 7.00 pm | Tue-Wed, by appointment only
Free entry
Opening: September 27
6.00 pm – 10.00 pm
Visits and appointments:
Carolina Donnini | +39 3468251904
Edda Regina Rosai | +393294149694
transcendingearthshow@gmail.com