Organic formula
23.11.2023 - 10.01.2024
In the exhibition Valentina Sciarra continues the exploration of formulas—those concise expressions used in science to symbolize relationships between elements and thus form knowledge. Sciarra takes these scientific constructs beyond their conventional meaning and expands them into expressive and semantic dimensions. By using symbols, representing abstract terms, she creates organic formulas that go beyond scientific value, aiming to point out the subtle natural dependencies, which lie at the foundation of the world.
The exhibition unfolds along two main lines: the creation of new organic formulas capable of explaining reality by using a creative approach towards knowledge and the exploration of symbolic sculptures, which introduce new symbols to express well-known concepts and phenomena that have already been part of our modern life for a while but lack a common symbolic representation that encapsulate their essence yet. Sciarra delves into the rich history of symbolism, drawing parallels between ancient philosophy, sacred geometry and contemporary artistic expressions and explores their role in understanding the harmony of the universe.
In this series of works Sciarra remains true to hew sculptural language, which follows a certain alchemical logic, where the overall impact of the object is constituted not only by its shape but also by the combination of materials and textures, their connection to the primary materials (earth, fire, water and air) and their symbolic use. By merging the fantastic and imaginative with scientific and physical research, her sculptures give life to the visible unrealities, which are being materialized and forced to submit to the same natural laws as our bodies, making them relatable and comprehensible. Thus Sciarra emphasizes on the ability of sculpture not only to reflect reality but also to form and guide our way of thinking, altering our perception of the surroundings and contributing to the common creative knowledge.
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Valentina Sciarra was born in 1983 in Rome. After a Master’s degree in law and numerous specialized courses in photography, she received her diploma with honors in 2013 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome with with a thesis on “Les espaces en friches” (Wastelands in the Urban Space), written during a study program at Villa Arson, Ecole nationale supérieure d’art in Nice/France. She currently lives and works in Sofia, where in 2018 she completed her MFA in Sculpture at the National Academy of Art.
Her works are site-specific interventions that move from photography to installation, from sculpture to sound; some are permanent works in public spaces or natural sites, including “Acqua Non Potabile”, a site-specific plastic fountain commissioned by the Bulgarian Women’s Fund for the European Capital of Culture Plovdiv 2019; ” The Path of the Oscillating Stones”, a ground-based artwork in the cliffs near Strupanitsa, Lukovit; “Vita” in Murgia National Park, Italy; “Entre terre et ciel”, a permanent installation at the entrance of the L’archet Hospital in Nice, France.
Since 2016, she has been conducting a specific research on stone sculpture, where the modus operandi is not focused on shaping-moulding-giving form to the stone, but the focus is on growing-building or transfiguring the potential of the stone itself. Her sculptures are a direct consequence of the original form or geological structure of the stones. Each stone is chosen for its ability to suggest and for its ability to transform.
In 2019 and 2018, Valentina Sharra is supported by the Gaudenz B. Ruf Award Support Program. In 2020 she received a scholarship at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart in the framework of the Eastern European Exchange Programme.
The project is realized with the financial support of the National Culture Fund.