RADICI DI UMANITÀ

Historic Center
Martina Franca

 

June 15, 2024 - April 30, 2025

With Roots of Humanity by sculptor Andrea Roggi, starting Saturday the 15th, Martina Franca turns into an art gallery

Roots of Humanity is the theme of the exhibition by internationally renowned sculptor Andrea Roggi, which will take place in Martina Franca from Saturday, June 15, on the occasion of the G7 . Martina will become an open-air art gallery , with some of its most picturesque spots serving as the backdrop for six large bronze sculptures. These artworks will be placed in various locations throughout the city center, creating an artistic and emotional path that starts from the historic center, in the Cloister of San Domenico , and ends in Piazza Sant'Antonio , passing through Piazza Maria Immacolata , the Basilica of San Martino , Piazza Roma near the Ducal Palace , and Piazza XX Settembre .

The exhibition is part of the CitArts Festival (this year's theme being Roots) promoted and supported by the Municipal Administration through the Department of Tourism and Territorial Marketing . In fact, it will begin in conjunction with the Festival of the Arts – promoted and sponsored not only by the Municipality, but also by the Region and Puglia Promozione – which will take place on June 15 and 16.

Andrea Roggi's works are featured in exhibitions and collections around the world. He has participated in national and international exhibitions in London, Rotterdam, Paris, Fukuoka, Munich and Shanghai, to name a few. From June 2022, the sculpture Ápeiron is on display at Villa Pisani in Stra, which, to date, at eight meters high, stands as the artist's largest work. The exhibition is curated by Felicia Cigorescu , creative and artistic director and human rights activist.

The exhibit will conclude on April 30 of next year.

"I am honored to exhibit my works in Martina Franca on the occasion of the G7. This year's theme, " Roots', resonates deeply with my art, which explores the interconnectedness between humans, nature and our shared heritage. Through my sculptures, I hope to inspire reflection on our shared history and the importance of preserving our cultural roots for future generations", affirmed sculptor Andrea Roggi.

The exhibition 'Roots of Humanity' embraces the universal languages of life within the white frame of the city overlooking the Itria Valley: Martina Franca. It sketches the contours of a poetic painting that brings us back to peace and the authentic values of humanity. New spaces and new perspectives of beauty," emphasized Felicia Cigorescu , "in a spectrum of multicolored light that lifts us upwards. By bowing to the roots, we find in nature the teacher who guides us towards knowledge. In an era often dominated by human differences and at a time when we are increasingly aware of the lowering of drawbridges, what is visible represents only a small part of the fragile coexistence of life.”

"I am particularly happy and honored," declared the Councillor for Tourism and Territorial Marketing Vincenzo Angelini , "to host Maestro Andrea Roggi in our city. His talent, artistic sensitivity, and creativity will provide an immense contribution to our community in terms of prestige and enhancement of urban spaces. Roggi's works, which have already graced the squares and streets of important cities such as Venice, Florence, Amalfi, and many others, always evoke strong emotions, and I am thrilled to share them with the citizens of Martina Franca. The bronze sculptures will create a cultural, artistic and emotional journey, whose common thread is the reunion between human beings and nature: a gift for the city, for all residents and tourists. The olive tree and its roots, in particular, symbolize strength but also the true identity of our territory. In the year when the importance of roots is prominently featured on the G7 agenda, I would like to say to all those who had to leave this land for various reasons: be tireless in cultivating memory and be strong like our olive trees, which have their roots firmly planted in the ground and their branches reaching towards the sky, towards the future," concluded Councillor Angelini.

 

“Who is that Self?
The Self is the pure awareness
that shines as the light within the heart”

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

 

Nature is harmony organized in matter, a symphony that plays incessantly, making us live in a universal dance, often unaware of the presence of innumerable companions or the rhythm that the music holds. In nature, isolation does not exist.
A plant or tree does not stand alone, and nothing in creation operates in solitude but as part of a single organism. Just as in a harmonium, the chord, modulation and tone of the individual keys create a melody together, similarly, interconnectedness proves essential to existence.

Radici di Umanità – Roots of Humanity – embraces the universal languages of life within the white frame of the city overlooking the Itria Valley : Martina Franca. It sketches the contours of a poetic painting that brings us back to peace and the authentic values of humanity. New spaces and new perspectives of beauty embrace form in a spectrum of multicolored light that lifts us upwards.
By bowing to the roots, we find in nature the teacher who guides us towards knowledge.
In an era often dominated by human differences and at a time when we are increasingly aware of the lowering of drawbridges, what is visible represents only a small part of the fragile coexistence of life.

Every particle of the Universe contains the universal soul , the anima mundi , the essence invisible to the eyes that moves in a space of light within the heart of each of us, where the roots of the world reside.

Felicia Cigorescu Curator