It will be like taking a “dive” into nature by visiting the exhibition that will be inaugurated in Modica on Saturday 11 May from 7pm at the SACCA Gallery.
Paradisetitle chosen by curator Giovanni Scuccescontains the vision of an idyllic natural placetypical of paradise, capable of giving calm, serenity, happiness and peace. Nature, in fact, has the ability to improve man’s state of mind, is able to amaze us and arouse in us a profound sense of well-being. The relationship between man and nature is a very current theme.
However, more and more often, it is not spoken of with a positive meaning, but for the harmful effects that occur due to man. But there is no doubt that we all have a great need to reconnect with it. Green areas are a remedy against stress. The feeling of feeling connected to the natural world satisfies us. AND according to some studies, published by the American Psychological Association, even the mere vision of nature could be enough (simply in photos or videos) to obtain benefits. So, think about the effect that the encounter between nature and the therapeutic power of art can have on us.with its ability to stimulate the areas of the brain responsible for the perception of pleasure whenever we find ourselves in the presence of a work that enchants us.
A sensation that you can experience thanks to the works of the seven artists guests: Daniela Balsamo (Palermo, 1970), Antonio Bardino (Alghero, 1973 – Udine), Giovanni Bongiovanni (Augusta, 2001), Simone Bubbico (Turin, 1984), Emilia Faro (Catania, 1976 – Turin), Elisa Zadi (Arezzo, 1979 – Florence), Davies Zambotti (Turin, 1980 – Milan). Each of them, within their own research and in various ways, has dealt with issues related to nature. Balm creates surreal scenarios in which nature reclaims its spaces. Bardino celebrates it by enhancing the beauty of the flora and creating, overall, botanical gardens on canvas. Bongiovanni it drops into the natural scene of kids in action intent on exploring it or focuses on green meadows where the presence of man can only be hypothesized. Bubbico places man and nature in “symbiosis” through inflorescences that sprout from bodily elements, while Lighthouse raises totemic palms as spiritual symbols. Zadi he lays himself bare by portraying himself in the act of undressing to fully connect with the surrounding nature. In the end, Zambottiwith his photographs, gives us a dreamy and ethereal nature, but also alive and extremely delicate.
In art, the relationship between man and nature is lost in the mists of time, it is something visceral. Already several thousand years ago, with cave paintings, and up to the present day, man has always tried to depict and celebrate nature in various ways. In prehistory, mainly stylized animals and human figures were represented, probably for propitiatory purposes. In the ancient world, with the Egyptians first, the Greeks and Romans then, there was a personification of Nature, understood as a divine manifestation whereby each element is represented by its own God. Nature acquires ever greater importance, not only for fauna, but also for the flora. Beyond the phytomorphic motifs, flowers, plants and trees are represented with ever greater skill until they become real gardens.
During the Middle Ages, with the growing affirmation of Christianity, Nature became the expression of a single God and various natural elements acquired their own symbolism. It, as the fruit of the creation of the Most High, becomes synonymous with perfection and connection with God and is symbolized in an idyllic way by the Earthly Paradise.
With the Renaissance and the advent of perspective, nature acts as a setting, serves as the backdrop to the main scene and achieves a more naturalistic rendering. But it is only in the 17th century that natural scenery, with landscape painting, becomes an autonomous artistic genre. In the nineteenth century, with Romanticism, nature becomes a mirror of human interiority. Therefore, it is represented because it is capable of arousing emotions and enhancing man’s sensitivity. Then with the second industrial revolution the relationship with nature changes, modernity and progress come into play. Thus between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, representations gradually became less realistic and more dynamic. First with impressionism and its luminous and chromatic variations, then with the geometric, fragmented and multiple vision of cubism, up to surrealism and the typical combination of real and imaginative elements that lead to dreamlike settings.
In contemporary society the fracture created between man and the environment is now evident. Art, therefore, must act as a spokesperson by raising public awareness, even with beauty. And in this case he wants to do so by making the magnificence of nature manifest, highlighting its bond with man and inducing reflection through works that make us rediscover this primordial, vital and essential connection with Nature. He wants to do this by bringing the visitor into a space, the gallery, capable of reviving this man-nature bond and arousing emotions. To do this, an exhibition was designed that recalls the idea of a very small Eden, the symbol par excellence of a primordial garden towards which one can ideally turn.
The exhibition, with free entry, can be visited until June 28th: from Tuesday to Saturday according to the gallery’s usual opening hours or by appointment. For further information and contacts, consult the art gallery website, www.sacca.online.
