By Simone Bandini
Recently placed, with great logistical and operational effort, as an extreme bulwark of land and sky in front of the vastness of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the monumental work of the master Andrea Roggi will be a magnetic and symbolic pole for the Tuscan coast. It is worth taking a tour of Versilia, more precisely on the pier of Forte dei Marmi, to admire the latest work by the Valdichiana artist: ‘Ki’ – which will be on display until 10 July 2024.
We had the privilege of seeing the great, last work by Andrea Roggi in the course of its work, in the new artisan workshop at the foot of Castiglion Fiorentino. A competition of artistic skills and technique of the craftsmen, for this creation that, even more than the previous ones, recalls a transcendental concept of the absolute, albeit condensed in the archetypal forms of his art: the tree, the roots, the celestial sphere (and terrestrial at the same time).
The sculpture is a 7-meter-high bronze that invites us to reflect on the very essence of art and life. To get closer and better understand the evocative and epiphanic power of a work of such beauty and proportion, we call together one of the greatest interpreters of the Italian theatre of the 20th century.
Speaking of the power of the still image, compared to the moving one, or of the figurative arts compared to cinema and theatre, Carmelo Bene said: “Detesting both, I limit myself to saying that the virtuality of a body in motion is much less dynamic than a virtual apparently enchanted once and for all (oil on canvas or sculpture, ed.), where the figurative object releases a suspended energy, impassive by a definitive fruition by the beholder. On the contrary, the moving image cannot escape the mediocre limit of the already wretchedly expressed.”
Despite their provocative complexity, the ingenious concepts enunciated are perfectly suited to Roggi’s monumental work which, for its fruition (we do not dare to use the word ‘understanding’ – since the absolute is an inexpressible category) needs a sort of mental reset, of catharsis (and in this the infinity of the Tyrrhenian Sea will be able to help), to become like the bed of a dry river, ready to welcome the torrential and fruitful energies of nature – with its symbolic and archetypal correspondences: the Japanese term Ki indicates precisely the force that permeates the existing.
In his majestic grandeur of the work, whose ‘amplified’ measures prepare the viewer for the encounter with the artistic absolute, Roggi captures the essence of this primordial energy “that nourishes not only our body, but also our mind and spirit and invites viewers to reflect on the importance of maintaining a harmonious balance with the world around us and to cultivate a deep sense of inner balance”.
This monumental Tree of Life – a celebration of the interconnection between matter and spirit, between heaven and earth – represents the perfect synthesis of Maestro Roggi’s poetics and is inspired by the work Energy of Life, created together with the American jeweller Martin Katz (See the latest issue of Valley Life magazine ‘Valdichiana and Lake Trasimeno’, Year XXII, nr. 174, “The Archetypal Bronzes of Andrea Roggi”).
Technical mastery and spiritual research at the service of this monumental work that the artist himself, probably also permeated by the same primordial force, has ever created: “It is my most complete creation”.
For these reasons, and for the autonomous motivations that will certainly emerge from your human sensitivity and your cultural equipment, we invite you to immerse yourself in this extraordinary experience, letting yourselves be inspired by the energy that pervades the work and to grasp its beauty and depth.
The exhibition is organized in collaboration with Vivai Federigi and with the patronage of the Municipality of Forte dei Marmi.
Info: www.andrearoggi.com / lasculturadiandrearoggi@gmail.com / Tel.: +39 0575 653401