TERRA MATER
EARTH and HEAVEN
VICENZA
January 28th 2022 - August 22nd 2022
Logge del Capitaniato, Piazza dei Signori, Basilica Palladiana, Piazza delle Erbe, Piazzale Alcide De Gasperi, Piazza San Lorenzo
"Roman divinity that clearly reveals itself as the result of secondary development, carried out in historical times and under the influence of Greek religious ideas, of the ancient Goddess Tellus.
This has only the character of an agrarian divinity, that is to say it is the Goddess of Vegetation, of Sowing and Crops, without any relation to the cult of the dead. [...]
Instead, the concept of the Terra Mater was formed in Rome only later.
The passage from Tellus to Terra Mater through Tellus mater is not sure, and certainly would not have occurred without Greek influences.
The Earth is now in relationship with the cult of the dead, and it is considered as a divine force that has in itself the seeds of life and death. [...]
It is not, however, like the Greek Gaea, the passive female element in contrast to the masculine active element of the sky (Uranus) or of the sea (Oceano); but it is the ground in its double meaning both of field of the harvest and place of burial. [...]
It is certain, however, that the ancient Goddess Tellus has now become Terra Mater and it represents the generating power of the soil, hence the life of plants and animals and the existence of men themselves”.
Franca Parise Badoni
Encyclopedia of Ancient Art (1966)
From the 28th of January until the 22nd of August, the bronze sculptures of Italian artist Andrea Roggi will be exhibited in the enchanting architectural setting of the city of Vicenza within the open-air solo exhibition entitled Terra Mater | Earth and Heaven.
Six majestic works of art will accompany visitors on a path not only of aesthetic contemplation, but above all of profound intellectual reflection on those themes which are particularly dear to the artist: our relationship with nature — conceived as Mother Earth, a saving power to defend and protect —, the relationship with our cultural roots — memory and traditions that feed us hope for a better future — and the relationship with time, in its inexorable flow. Through paying his intimate tribute to Mother Earth, on one hand the Maestro is conveying the exigency of returning to love the planet that has nurtured mankind for millennia. On the other hand, he is also implying the urgency to regain control over what we have been given as a gift from past experience; so that is can be actively used to achieve a virtuous collective state of awareness and balance, almost the same way ancient Greek philosophers did.
Paradise is under our feet
as well as on our heads
Henry David Thoreau