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in
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October 31, 2015
in
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October 31, 2015
0

Roberto Almagno, From Nature to Sculpture

Vincenza Di MaggiobyVincenza Di Maggio
Time: 3 mins read

Roman sculptor Roberto Almagno doesn’t own a telephone, or a computer. He is very much a man of nature. You might not realize it at first glance, but through his new exhibition, on view at the Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò from October 28th – December 16th, he has brought a piece of his beloved woodlands to the concrete setting of New York City. What looks like iron to the naked eye, is actually wood. It has been so wholly warped and transformed from its natural form that it appears as unrecognizable in Almagno’s installations, which seem to buoyantly float from the white walls of the gallery, and fluidly soar through empty space.

Almagno has worked with clay, plaster, and stone, but when he discovered wood in the early 80’s, it would define his artistic career. “Wood is a very noble material, poor, but noble. And it’s very alive,” he tells La Voce. His unique process involves the practice of a very ancient technique in which he flays the wood, immerses it in water, burns it with fire, and slowly bends it until it reaches the desired curvature.

detailWorkThe most curious aspect of his sculptural work is the way that it so effortlessly hovers in space, as if freed from gravity. Using a secret technique which the artist does not wish to reveal, he physically connects the elements of his installation in such a subtle way that they seem to elegantly, weightlessly, mystically lift from the ground and gracefully float above and around one another.

RA“It’s a very laborious art, but I don’t think about time. I always try to arrive at the conclusion of a sculpture with the same freshness and initial sense of joy and wonder,” he says. It speaks to his artisanal skills that he can achieve the flawlessly smooth, curvilinear forms of his sculptures by only using his hands. Almagno views his relationship with his materials as a personal one and therefore refuses to utilize technology, or assistance from others when creating his work. “It is a sculpture that is born from me and only me. From the beginning when I collect the wood, until the point of installation, everything is done with my own hands. If someone assists me, I don’t feel like it is mine anymore. I have to feel like it’s mine.”

Despite the fact that his art depends so heavily on the use of wood, Almagno has never cut down a tree branch. “I swear, never,” he insists. He lives at the center of the city Rome but when he feels the need to escape the chaos of an urban environment, he retreats into the woods. “I like to meditate, hear the silence of nature. It’s very emotional for me. I search for branches that have fallen to the ground, bring them to my studio, leave them there, and wait for them to call me. I always hear them call,” he says.

 

Watch the video about Almagno's show by Casa Italiana NYU>>

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Vincenza Di Maggio

Vincenza Di Maggio

È iniziato tutto con un dipinto, Venere e Adone di Tiziano. “Scrivi quello che vedi”, mi disse la mia professoressa di storia dell'arte. E con queste parole accese un fuoco che avrebbe guidato la mia carriera come scrittrice e storica dell'arte. Dopo il Master in History of Art and Archaeology dell'Istituto di Belle Arti della NYU, uno stage al MoMA e collaborazioni con Condé Nast Traveler, The Architect’s Newspaper e INSIDE F&B. Di origini siciliane, sono nata e cresciuta a New York. Quando non scrivo, mi immergo nella vivace scena artistica di Manhattan, divenendo testimone diretto dell'effetto trasformativo che l'arte può avere su una città e viceversa. It started with a painting. It was Titian’s Venus and Adonis. “Write what you see,” my college art history professor said to me. With those four words she ignited a fire within me that would drive my career as a writer, and as an art historian. I graduated with an MA in the History of Art & Archaeology from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, and recently completed an internship at MoMA. I have done freelance work for Condé Nast Traveler, The Architect’s Newspaper, and INSIDE F&B. Sicilian in origin, but I was born and raised in New York. When I’m not writing, I’m immersing myself in Manhattan’s vibrant art scene, witnessing first hand the beautifully transformative effect the arts can have on a city.

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