Verso Terra (Towards Earth) is the new Antonio Ievolella solo show, curated by Nicola Galvan and Mattia Munari, currently on display at the Maco Arte in Padua.
On this occasion, some works by the sculptor are exhibited all united by a thematic commonality: water. The exhibition consists of a large installation where Fons vitae, a work previously displayed at the Giardini dell’Arena near the Musei Civici Eremitani in Padua, takes center stage. For this occasion, Ievolella has rethought and reconfigured the piece to fit the exhibition spaces of Maco Arte. This artwork, featuring a site-specific installation where water flows along a sloping channel, engages in a dialogue with newly created terracotta vases by the artist.
Mattia Munari explains: “This installation aligns perfectly with an ancient saying from Benevento: ‘l’acqua vò ‘a pennenza, l’ammore vò ‘a speranza,’ which translates to: just as water needs a slope, love requires hope. Ievolella’s works come from ancient worlds and convey the power of the tradition of gesture, the knowledge of craftsmanship, the nobility of roots, respect, and love for the land, and of course, for water, a precious resource.”
“Water,” adds Nicola Galvan, “is an element that Ievolella, through his plastic action, highlights for its rich symbolic wealth. The artist’s sculpture has always appeared as an evocative machine that, after summoning memories of objects and places, sacred and domestic rituals, offers a ‘magical’ and metamorphic reinterpretation, expanding their potential for meaning.”
