With the early arrival of heatwaves the summer has been firmly underway for a few months now. I have two exhibitions coming up back to back in the beautiful historical centre of Vasto, one solo and one group, part of Liberamente in Arte with Pro Loco Vasto.
This gives me an opportunity to connect with the city and the wider community, build on new collaborations and a broader display opportunity, necessary as home can be a tad isolated at times. New works will be displayed and although this last year has been more complicated in getting in the studio I feel I have a fresh body of work to exhibit.
So please come and say hi, pop in to Sala Mattioli between the 25th July and the 1st August and then from the 1st August until the 10th at the Chiostro ex Curia Vescovile, always in the evenings.
A few little interesting things as my blog writing las lapsed too lately….
Relationship with creativity - I heard Elizabeth Gilbert talk about her creative process and much of what she said resonated greatly with me, she talked of how there is this romantic fetishisation with self destruction and creativity, the ultimate human sacrifice to creative suicide. She asks why would we want to fight with something that doesn’t want to fight with us, and how is that working for you to see it as a war, these aggressive notions. I agree, for me my relationship with art started very young, it was always a sanctuary, a healthy place of peace and beauty, of processing yet curiosity. Gilbert then talks of looking at it another way, the love of being humble, bemused, a servant of this thing, may we introduce some ideas to it. I too love the idea of play, the dance, the surrender, to come form a place of quiet and see where it takes you. I loved her line - she would rather create done and lacking than dying on the cross of perfectionism, I believe the true roots of creativity lie in that idea of discovery, failure, resilience, yet determination even if you are not able to offer absolutely everything you can at that time.
The Moment - Margaret Attwood
The moment when, after many years
of hard work and a long voyage
you stand in the centre of your room,
house, half-acre, square mile, island, country,
knowing at last how you got there,
and say, I own this,
is the same moment when the trees unloose
their soft arms from around you,
the birds take back their language,
the cliffs fissure and collapse,
the air moves back from you like a wave
and you can’t breathe.
No, they whisper. You own nothing.
You were a visitor, time after time
climbing the hill, planting the flag, proclaiming.
We never belonged to you.
You never found us.
It was always the other way round.
“Humanity has had inarguable impact on the earth beneath our feet. Even the name of our species is derived from the same word as soil - humus - from Latin, meaning ground or earth. Our connection is undeniable. It’s one that goes beyond the limits of language. As Franciscan priest and author Richard Rohr wrote ‘Being human means acknowledging that we are made from the earth and that we will return back to the earth’.
This relationship is still strong within less industrialised communities, but has been all but lost for the millions living in cities, where majority of people are not responsible for the growing of the food they eat.
Soil is a vital part of many ecosystems - for growing food, as a carbon sink, for breaking down decaying matter. By rekindling our bond to the earth beneath our feet, we can be better equipped to save it”. Atmos
Con il caldo l'estate è ormai in corso da qualche mese. Ho due mostre che si susseguono nel bellissimo centro storico di Vasto, una personale e una collettiva Liberamente in Arte, un parte della Pro Loco Vasto.
Questo mi dà l'opportunità di entrare in contatto con la città e la comunità in generale poiché la casa può essere un po' isolata a volte. Verranno mostrati nuovi lavori anche se quest'ultimo anno è stato più complicato per entrare in studio, sento di avere un nuovo corpus di lavori da esporre.
Allora venite a salutare, fate un salto in Sala Mattioli dal 25 luglio al 1 agosto e poi dal 1 agosto al 10 al Chiostro ex Curia Vescovile, sempre la sera.
Alcune piccole cose interessanti mentre la scrittura del mio blog è scaduta troppo di recente….
“L'umanità ha avuto un impatto indiscutibile sulla terra sotto i nostri piedi. Anche il nome della nostra specie deriva dalla stessa parola di suolo - humus - dal latino, che significa terra o terra. La nostra connessione è innegabile. È uno che va oltre i limiti del linguaggio. Come ha scritto il sacerdote e scrittore francescano Richard Rohr "Essere umani significa riconoscere che siamo fatti dalla terra e che torneremo sulla terra".
Questa relazione è ancora forte all'interno delle comunità meno industrializzate, ma è andata quasi perduta per i milioni che vivono nelle città, dove la maggior parte delle persone non è responsabile della coltivazione del cibo che mangia.
Il suolo è una parte vitale di molti ecosistemi: per la coltivazione del cibo, come serbatoio di carbonio, per scomporre la materia in decomposizione. Riaccendendo il nostro legame con la terra sotto i nostri piedi, possiamo essere meglio attrezzati per salvarla”. Atmosfera
