Welcome to stage no. 5 of Hidden Treasures. As we walk along the walkway along the ancient medieval walls of San Quirico d’Orcia we will take you to discover some of the wonderful works of art donated by the artists who have participated in over 50 years of Forme nel Verde , the exhibition of contemporary Italian art born in 1971.
JUSTIN PAISER
The Pilgrim’s Bag
Iron
2015
150cm
[…] In front of these works the sensation is nothing short of alienating, it is as if the visitor suddenly found himself in a medieval luggage storage but full of backpacks that have been passed through a metal detector and of which only the metallic core is visible. Already from this first meeting the invitation to leave one’s burden, both mental and physical, is clear. The individual saddlebags are made of metal, using an iron wire that composes their shape, filling each of them with emptiness, as if through a game of Chinese boxes. Each saddlebag “soul” contains another and another ever smaller one, like a series of cases containing miniature relics. These are small heads to signify that the only indispensable baggage, the only true necessary wealth, consists in the search for mental freedom. His is a paradigm of the unconscious and an invitation to reveal and empty its most hidden meanders. It is in this way that the artist places emphasis on the “spiritual” content of the bag which, the more empty it is, the more it increases the pilgrim’s merit. […] Francesca Pietracci.
Note on the author
Justin Peyser was born in Boston in 1964 and raised in Livingston, New Jersey. He studied Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard College, and Painting at the Art Students League of New York and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna. Lives and works in New York.
YOSHITO FUJIBE
Sculpture
Travertine
1983
Travertine work created by the artist Yoshito Fujibe on the occasion of the 13th edition of the Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition Forme nel Verde for the collective Ten proposals for an ancient country , which sought new exhibition spaces in the streets of the town. A collective of artists as different from each other in terms of nationality, training and expression, as they are united by a common love for Tuscany. Sculpture was conceived as street furniture, becoming part of the daily life of the community of San Quirico d’Orcia.
Note on the author
Born in 1946 in Ehime (Japan). He studied at Studio Okada in Aji. Since 1972 he occasionally travels to Italy, where he creates works in marble, granite and travertine. He has participated in numerous international sculpture exhibitions and art symposiums. He has created works for public spaces in Europe and Japan.
ALEJANDRO HASLER
Seven Pyramids
Travertine
1983
70x120x150 cm
Travertine sculpture created by the artist Alejandro Hasler on the occasion of the 13th edition of the Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition Forme nel Verde for the collective Ten Proposals for an Ancient Town, which went in search of new exhibition spaces in the streets of the town. A collective of artists as different from each other in terms of nationality, training and expression, as they are united by a common love for Tuscany. Sette Piramidi was conceived as street furniture, becoming part of the daily life of the community of San Quirico d’Orcia.
Note on the author
Born in Santiago de Cuba on October 7, 1959. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona, studying
of the artist Rudolph Hasler and the Carrara Marble School.
RICCARDO GRAZZI
Three Portals
Light travertine, walnut, metal
2007
53x40x69 cm
[…] To understand the meaning of its portals it is necessary to refer to the ancient city gates which were an element of display of multiple and universal contents, indicated through decorations, inscriptions, reliefs and frescoes. Portals that invite the passage towards the mystery, large walls that blend in with nature, understood as the human condition, stairs that evoke the elevation towards higher dimensions, fountains that enhance the sacred aspect of water as a source of life and sculptures that they welcome man by giving the possibility of sitting inside them, they are the cornerstones of an art capable not only of being furniture, but of expressing great ideals, despite the simplicity of the material and the everyday life which in some everyday objects remains an aspect absolute. Travertine, marble and pietra serena are the most recurring materials and Grazzi proves capable of drawing poetic tones from their hardness. […] Liletta Fornasari
Note on the author
Riccardo Grazzi was born in Florence on 24 April 1961. He grew up in Serre in the province of Siena where he received his first teachings on working travertine from his father. He attended the Art High School and the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara. The laboratories and quarries of his Tuscany have always represented a constant presence for him, part of his DNA. Even in his youthful period spent in Carrara he frequented the city’s artisan and art workshops, further deepening his knowledge of the noble stone material, refining his manual skills and executive experience already consolidated on Serre travertine on Carrara marble. His intellectual training, sensitivity and technique are thus gradually verified “in the field” and stimulated on several occasions also by important meetings and by frequenting great masters such as: Floriano BODINI (the sculptor of Pope Paul VI), Pietro CASCELLA, Joe TILSON. He currently practices the profession of sculptor at the laboratories of the Saturnus Association, which deals with the promotion of artistic activities in the area. Since the beginning of his artistic activity, he has collaborated in the creation of large art projects. There are also numerous collective exhibitions and, predominantly, personal ones set up from the debut in 1983 to today. He currently practices the profession of sculptor at the laboratories of the Saturnus Cultural Association, which deals with the promotion of artistic activities in the area.
