One of the best parts of our jobs at Artful Italia is helping promote the artisan culture in Italy by featuring events on our blog that are happening in Italy. If you live in Italy or are traveling to Italy it is worth adding these events to your calendar. It is a way to experience local culture, support artisans, and become part of the community involved in the Italian pursuit of artistic excellence.
One of the events very dear to our hearts is Fusion, an international sculpture symposium. Fusion is a collaboration between 5 marble sculptors in Tuscany and 5 wood sculptors in Hong Kong. 2024 will be the first year the sculptors will be able to work together due to travel restrictions from the COVID pandemic. This gathering has always been the goal and dream of everyone involved in Fusion. This year for Fusion 3, the artists will create five medium/large-scale sculptures, working in pairs.
Having seen the past two Fusion exhibits we can say that each sculpture is quite moving. The contrast of the white marble with the warm hues and grains of the wood flow together under the creativity of the artists. What makes them different-color, texture and design also make them the perfect pair, a symbiosis of opposites pairing perfectly. Each sculpture is more beautiful because of the trust each artist has in allowing someone else into their creative process. The trust they extend can be felt in each of the 5 pieces created for the symposium.
The artists from Hong Kong will ship their wood specimens to Arkad’s workshop and when they arrive they will be joined by the artisans in Italy and their marble selections. Together the pairs will share their visions and create a cohesive and stunning sculpture. Once the artists have decided on their sculptures they will work in the medieval workshop, which once belonged to the Medici family. The work will commence this summer (2024) from June-July at Arkad’s workshop in Seravezza and then will be on display in the ARKAD Foundation Gallery in Seravezza until October. From October-December the sculptures will be on display either in Florence or Milan. Then from March-May 2025 the sculptures will be shown at the Hong Kong Arts center, along with unsold pieces from Fusion and Fusion 2.
Using marble from the Apuan Alps and wood from Hong Kong, the artists come together to join their visions and their contrasting materials into one. The fusion of cultures, visions, methods and material is something unique in both countries.
Supporters and friends can help this project in many ways. For example, by 'adopting' an artist, i.e. by bearing the costs of symposium for her/him. The expense is different depending on whether the artist comes from Hong Kong or lives in Italy. There are other ways to support the symposium as well. You can contact Arkad Foundation directly for more information on how to support the artists and the Fusion 3 Symposium.
Watch this video made in Hong Kong of Fusion 2.
The Arkad Foundation is tucked away in the beautiful town of Seravezza at the bottom of the Apuan Alps. Its close proximity to Pisa, Forte dei Marmi and Lucca make it convenient to visit the gallery and see their current exhibit and the works of its founders Nicolas Bertoux and Cynthia Sah.
You can find Nicolas Bertoux's designs on our website. The beautiful marble Christmas trees which make incredible corporate gifts, or the marble Christmas tree set which are a stunning gift for you or your friends.
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