Solo exhibition by Massimo Gardone at Villa Vipolze for GO! 2025: photography and video on nature, memory and technological innovation.
On the occasion of project GO! 2025 Borderless-European capital of culture, Zerial Art Project presents Massimo Gardone's solo exhibition entitled " Oasis-Embrace to bloom” in Villa Vipolze – Brda, as part of the cycle “Amnesie – ci ricorda di non dimenticare” curated by Elisabetta Zerial, in collaboration with BCC Venezia Giulia Gruppo Iccrea, PromoTurismoFVG, Cultural Society Da Arie and under the patronage of the municipality of Gorizia. An exhibition that will be open from 12. September at 19.hours, will be on display until 17. November in the beautiful villa Viparze in Brda promises to be a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the poetic and visionary world of the artist. His work, which has always drawn inspiration from nature and its deepest symbols, enters into an intimate dialogue with the historical and natural context of the villa, which has preserved the enchanting beauty of pristine nature for centuries. The video “Oasis – Embrace to bloom”, a project by Massimo Gardone and Fabio Bressano, will be projected onto the facade – an experimental path that combines photography and artificial intelligence, connects different creative languages and reimagines future urban spaces, taking the visitor to a poetic world. The piano nobile Hall will host a selection of photographic works – already presented in collaboration with Roberto Capucci – that capture the essence of flowers through a delicate and poetic lens. Each shot brings moments of fragility and strength at the same time, transforming natural motives into metaphorical images of memory and the transience of being. With them, the artist invites the viewer to see the hidden beauty of shapes and colors and to reflect on the intensity of the present moment and the persistence of memory. The fusion of photography and video offers a multi-sensory experience where nature, memory and technological innovation merge into a poetic and contemporary narrative. Biography Massimo Gardone is an Italian photographer born in Genoa and raised in Palermo. In Trieste, together with his colleagues Alessandro and Lorenca, he founded the Azimut Studio. He is known for his Still Life Recordings and his close collaboration with the most important Italian graphic designers, who choose his creative vision – in the balance between personal research and commercial needs – to transform the visual identity of many brands. In personal projects, his favorite motifs are flowers and the sea. The exploration of petals and stamens began many years ago and is still continuing. Always driven by the desire to experiment, he moves between new digital tools and undiscovered fantasy worlds. Oasis is his romantic and optimistic reflection on the world – the story of a world that finds life again in beauty and creativity. About flowers " my infatuation with the floral world happened a few years ago, thanks to the book Flo alters by Irving Penn, which revealed to me that it is possible to "portrait" flowers just as people are portrayed. Wrinkles testify to the transience of time – and the same says withering. And yet, it is in these folds that the soul of the gaze can be perceived, as in wilted flowers. I lay out the petals on the light surface and the moment I arrange them, I rediscover the grace of the dance. They begin to revive, as in the music that has always accompanied me, and at that very moment I find my gaze again. With flowers, I have always pursued a space that hovers between dreams and reality, similar to Alice In Wonderland, where every detail tells a story and invites you to get lost in another world. I tried different techniques and bases, in a constant desire to see hidden narratives in the folds of seduction. If the simplest path of photography leads to the frame, then my curiosity took me elsewhere – I crossed unexplored thresholds and intertwined my work with worlds closer to design. So my flowers found a home on glass and fabrics, on ceramics, turning into tables, lamps, tiles. Each rootstock has become an unexpected garden, blossomed in a new form. Sometimes I wonder if in this fleeting world of images of mine there is also a place to take care of the planet. From this thought, the "veli" Oasis were born: large floating surfaces that breathe in the forests in the imagination and return oxygen to the poisoned cities. In these future scenarios, I like to imagine that one day these regenerative airwaves will become a reality – and that perhaps some scientist will want to dress them up as my flowers. Then every petal will be a lung, every color will be a breath, and art will be able to become a breeze for the world."Massimo Gardone New – unusual-spring "I don't remember when they appeared. They say it was ’42, but who knows? We no longer keep the memory of the places we visited, nor of the years in which we traveled. We were in the forest, the leaves were still hanging on the trees. A friend brought me there many years ago. You'll love it, he told me. Especially in autumn, you will see the colors. And I really liked it then. It was not cold yet, although it could have been at that latitude, it may have been late October, but there was still some shade, and the foliage, still green and yellow and red, with different shades and pigments, with light overflows and play of Shadows, a real wonder for the eyes. Color and shade. It was pleasant to walk in that forest for a long time. The friends who lived there called it a forest, but it was a City Forest, a giant park with mighty trees, which meandered into the suburbs of the metropolis and reached all the way to its semi-central strip. Why am I telling all this? I'm on my way, but let's get back to the starting point. I returned to that forest many years later, I wanted to see it again. I wanted to return alone, to a journey of remembrance, to a journey of remembrance. The forest has changed. Dried trees, a little shade. Here and there another lonely leaf attached to the branch. I got lost on the tracks, I no longer recognized them. At that time, we were guided by the traces of fresh steps, but now there was no more undergrowth, only dry trees. I could not find a way out of the forest, nor the path I took. Suddenly my ear was attracted by a noise. A strange noise that I have never heard before. Nothing eerie, a gentle and unusual sound, completely unheard until then. Exciting, upsetting, just because it was brand new to my ears. Vibration, something in the air. Upstairs. It wasn't a bird flight. Not that strange bug. A strange auditory sensation, accompanied by a feeling of freshness, like a fresh breath, and still a little fragrant. Flowers that season? Impossible, it was never there in the autumn time, even when the trees were still alive. But who would know what time of year I found myself there? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it wasn't autumn anymore, maybe it was a new spring. And it was a feeling that I still remember, whatever it was that time of year that I don't remember: it was a new – unusual – spring. I look up and see him: a huge curtain hung high among the tree branches, luminous and light, white, almost blinding white, fluttering, tied between the branches of two trees several lengths of arms from each other, where, perhaps, the old track once passed... And between the branches, in the bright whiteness of the fabric, something like a heart beat, but when I looked better, it was a huge flower, as if projected somewhere, not, maybe drawn, maybe photographed, printed on that unusual fabric – but printed as if there was a light movement coming and going from that big curtain... It was like hyperventilation. I clearly remember the feeling of dizziness and that I then found myself on the ground, in a silence that was both unreal and completely natural. I know what I'm saying, it was as if the air was cleaner, and that strange, terribly unusual noise, very gentle, almost musical, covered all the other sounds, rustles, creaks of the surrounding world."For more information, see ZTKMŠ Brdo Vila Vipolže Vipolže 29, 5212 Dobrovo T: +386 8 20 554 20 W: brda.en E info@vilavipolze.eu Zerial Art Project-Tel: +39 351 7662597 info@zerialartproject.com www.zerialartproject.com
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Samostojna razstava Massima Gardoneja v Vili Vipolže za GO! 2025: fotografija in video o naravi, spominu in tehnoloških inovacijah.
Ob priložnosti projekta GO! 2025 Borderless – Evropska prestolnica kulture, Zerial Art Project predstavlja samostojno razstavo Massima Gardoneja z naslovom “Oasis – Embrace to bloom” v Vili Vipolže – Brda, v sklopu cikla “Amnesie – ci ricorda di non dimenticare” v kuratorski zasnovi Elisabette Zerial, v sodelovanju z BCC Venezia Giulia Gruppo Iccrea, PromoTurismoFVG, Kulturnim društvom Da Arie in pod pokroviteljstvom Mestne občine Gorica. Razstava, ki bo odprta od 12. septembra 2025 ob 19.uri, bo na ogled do 31. januarja 2026 v čudoviti Vili Vipolže v Brdih, se obeta kot edinstvena priložnost za potopitev v pesniški in vizionarski svet umetnika. Njegovo delo, ki je vedno znova črpalo navdih v naravi in njenih najglobljih simbolih, vstopa v intimen dialog z zgodovinskim in naravnim kontekstom vile, ki že stoletja ohranja očarljivo lepoto neokrnjene narave. Na pročelje bo projiciran video “Oasis – Embrace to bloom”, projekt Massima Gardoneja in Fabia Bressana – eksperimentalna pot, ki združuje fotografijo in umetno inteligenco, povezuje različne ustvarjalne jezike ter na novo zamišlja prihodnje urbane prostore in obiskovalca popelje v poetičen svet. Dvorana piano nobile bo gostila izbor fotografskih del – že predstavljenih v sodelovanju z Robertom Capuccijem – ki skozi občutljiv in poetičen objektiv zajemajo bistvo cvetja. Vsak posnetek prinaša trenutke krhkosti in moči hkrati ter naravne motive preobraža v metaforične podobe spomina in minljivosti bivanja. Z njimi umetnik vabi gledalca, da uzre skrito lepoto oblik in barv ter razmišlja o intenziteti sedanjega trenutka in obstojnosti spomina. Združitev fotografije in videa ponuja veččutno doživetje, kjer se narava, spomin in tehnološka inovacija stapljajo v poetično in sodobno pripoved. Življenjepis Massimo Gardone je italijanski fotograf, rojen v Genovi in odraščal v Palermu. V Trstu je skupaj s sodelavkama Alessandro in Lorenco ustanovil Studio Azimut. Poznan je po svojih posnetkih tihožitij in tesnem sodelovanju z najpomembnejšimi italijanskimi grafičnimi oblikovalci, ki izbirajo njegovo ustvarjalno vizijo – v ravnotežju med osebno raziskavo in komercialnimi potrebami – za preoblikovanje vizualne identitete številnih blagovnih znamk. Pri osebnih projektih so njegovi najljubši motivi cvetje in morje. Raziskovanje cvetnih listov in prašnikov se je začelo že pred mnogimi leti in se še vedno nadaljuje. Vedno ga žene želja po eksperimentiranju, zato se giblje med novimi digitalnimi orodji in neodkritimi domišljijskimi svetovi. Oasis je njegova romantična in optimistična refleksija o svetu – zgodba o svetu, ki v lepoti in ustvarjalnosti znova najde življenje. O cvetju "Moja zaljubljenost v cvetlični svet se je zgodila pred nekaj leti, zahvaljujoč knjigi Flowers Irvinga Penna, ki mi je razkrila, da je mogoče »portretirati« cvetove prav tako, kot se portretira ljudi. Gube pričajo o minljivosti časa – in enako pove ovenelost. Pa vendar se prav v teh gubah lahko zazna duša pogleda, tako kot pri uvelih rožah. Na svetlobno površino polagam cvetne liste in v trenutku, ko jih razporejam, znova odkrijem milino plesa. Začnejo se oživljati, kakor v glasbi, ki me že od nekdaj spremlja, in prav v tistem hipu znova najdem svoj pogled. S cvetjem že od nekdaj zasledujem prostor, ki lebdi med sanjami in resničnostjo, podoben Alica v Čudežni deželi, kjer vsaka podrobnost pripoveduje zgodbo in vabi, da se izgubiš v drugem svetu. Preizkušal sem različne tehnike in podlage, v neprestani želji, da bi v gubah zapeljevanja uzrl skrite pripovedi. Če najpreprostejša pot fotografije vodi v okvir, me je moja radovednost popeljala drugam – prestopil sem neraziskane pragove in svoje delo prepletel s svetovi, bližjimi oblikovanju. Tako so moji cvetovi našli dom na steklu in tkaninah, na keramiki, ki se je spreminjala v mize, svetilke, ploščice. Vsaka podlaga je postala nepričakovan vrt, razcveten v novi obliki. Včasih se vprašam, ali je v tem mojem minljivem svetu podob prostor tudi za skrb za planet. Iz te misli so se rodili »veli« Oasis: velike lebdeče površine, ki v domišljiji dihajo v gozdovih in vračajo kisik zastrupljenim mestom. V teh prihodnjih scenarijih si rad predstavljam, da bodo nekega dne ti regenerativni zračni veli postali resničnost – in da jih bo morda kak znanstvenik hotel obleči v moje cvetove. Takrat bo vsak cvetni list pljuča, vsaka barva dih, umetnost pa bo lahko postala sapica za svet." Massimo Gardone Nova – nenavadna – pomlad »Ne spomnim se, kdaj so se pojavili. Pravijo, da je bilo leta ’42, a kdo bi vedel? Ne hranimo več spomina na kraje, ki smo jih obiskali, niti na leta, v katerih smo potovali. Bili smo v gozdu, listje je še vedno viselo na drevju. Tja me je pred mnogimi leti pripeljal prijatelj. Všeč ti bo, mi je rekel. Še posebej jeseni, videl boš barve. In res mi je bilo takrat všeč. Še ni bilo hladno, čeprav bi lahko bilo pri tisti zemljepisni širini, bil je morda že pozni oktober, a je bilo še vedno nekaj sence, pa listje, še zeleno in rumeno in rdeče, z različnimi odtenki in pigmenti, s svetlobnimi prelivi in igro senc, pravo čudo za oči. Barva in senca. Bilo je prijetno dolgo hoditi po tistem gozdu. Prijatelji, ki so tam živeli, so ga imenovali gozd, a bil je mestni gozd, velikanski park z mogočnimi drevesi, ki se je zajedal v predmestje metropole in segal vse do njenega pol-centralnega pasu. Zakaj vse to pripovedujem? Opletam, a naj se vrnem na izhodišče. V tisti gozd sem se vrnil mnogo let pozneje, hotel sem ga spet videti. Želel sem se vrniti sam, na potovanje v spomin, na potovanje spomina. Gozd se je spremenil. Posušena drevesa, malo sence. Tu in tam še kakšen osamljen list, pritrjen na vejo. Izgubil sem se na stezah, nisem jih več prepoznal. Takrat so nas vodile sledi svežih korakov, zdaj pa ni bilo več podrasti, le suha drevesa. Nisem našel poti iz gozda, niti poti, po kateri sem prišel. Nenadoma je moje uho pritegnil šum. Nenavaden šum, kakršnega še nikoli nisem slišal. Nič srhljivega, nežen in nenavaden zvok, povsem neslišan do tedaj. Vznemirljiv, vznemirjajoč, samo zato, ker je bil povsem nov za moja ušesa. Vibracija, nekaj v zraku. Zgoraj. Ni bil ptičji let. Ne tisti kakšnega čudnega žuželka. Čuden slušni občutek, ki ga je spremljal občutek svežine, kot svež dih, in še malce dišeč. Cvetje v tisti sezoni? Nemogoče, nikoli ga ni bilo v jesenskem času, niti takrat, ko so bila drevesa še živa. A kdo bi vedel, v katerem letnem času sem se znašel tam? Morda se motim, morda ni bila več jesen, morda je bila nova pomlad. In to je bil občutek, ki ga še vedno pomnim, karkoli je že bil tisti letni čas, ki se ga ne spominjam: bila je nova – nenavadna – pomlad. Pogledam navzgor in ga zagledam: ogromen zastor, obešen visoko med drevesnimi vejami, svetleč in lahek, bel, skoraj slepeče bel, ki je plapolal, privezan med veje dveh dreves, oddaljenih več dolžin rok drug od drugega, tam, kjer je morda nekoč potekala stara steza... In med vejami, v svetli belini tkanine, je utripalo nekaj kot srce, a ko sem bolje pogledal, je bil to ogromen cvet, kot da bi bil nekje projeciran, ne, morda narisan, morda fotografiran, natisnjen na tisti nenavadni tkanini – a natisnjen tako, kot da je bil svetlobno gibanje, ki je prihajalo in odhajalo s tistega velikega zastora... Onemogel sem, kot bi me zagrabila hiperventilacija. Jasno se spominjam občutka omotice in da sem se nato znašel na tleh, v tišini, ki je bila obenem neresnična in povsem naravna. Vem, kaj pravim, bilo je, kot da je bil zrak čistejši, in tisti nenavadni, strašno nenavadni šum, zelo nežen, skoraj glasben, je prekrival vse druge zvoke, šeleste, škripanje okoliškega sveta.« Poletni urnik (1. 4.–22. 10.) Torek–petek: 9.00–12.00 in 13.00–17.00 Sobota, nedelja in prazniki: 10.00–13.00 in 14.00–18.00 Zimski urnik (23. 10.–31. 3.) Torek–petek: 9.00–12.00 in od 13.00–16.00 Sobota, nedelja in prazniki: ZAPRTO Zaprta je ob ponedeljkih*, 1. 11., 25. 12., 1. 1. in 2. 1. Več informacij: ZTKMŠ Brda Vila Vipolže Vipolže 29, 5212 Dobrovo T: +386 8 20 554 20 W: brda.si E: info@vilavipolze.eu Zerial Art Project T: +39 351 7662597 info@zerialartproject.com www.zerialartproject.com
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