Ad Intra exhibition in Livorno reflects on the sacred in contemporary art

The ancient crypt of San Jacopo in Acquaviva in Livorno is hosting until July 28 the group exhibition AD INTRA - on spirituality in art. Organized by the “Il Gioiello Dimenticato” Committee and curated by Jacopo Suggi, the exhibition involves four protagonists of Livorno’s art scene: Bruno Florio, Floriana Gerosa, Marco Meini and Paul Netto. The exhibition explores the theme of spirituality in art, reflecting on the idea of inner necessity described by Kandinsky and artistic practice as a means of giving form to the intangible.

“Not a few argue that in our contemporary society, spasmodically devoted to pragmatism and materialism, governed by violently individualistic dynamics,” Suggi writes in his critical text, “there is no longer room for a dimension other than the phenomenal reality of everyday life. For others, however, simply the modern individual has turned away from traditional religions, taking refuge in other instances, asserting that yes, perhaps it is the gods that have fled, but certainly not the sacred that continues to rise and fall. The sphere of the sacred [...] designates those powers elusive to the senses and logic that man has felt as superior and from which he has always been intimidated or attracted. This transcendent space takes on different forms for each of us, in the service of the divine for some, or of a mysticism that is formalized in numerous aspects, but opens toward supersensible or supernatural realities, which often result in a tight search for answers, in the will to find meaning in existence, but also in a path of inner investigation and a ring toward balance and harmony.” There is a space for the sacred in contemporary art , and the exhibition “aims to offer a succinct but valuable insight into the production steeped in sacred, spiritual and mystical themes of four very different artists.”

The works on display, including sculpture, painting and installation, highlight how contemporary art has not lost its transcendental dimension. The exhibition unfolds in the crypt of San Jacopo, a sacred and evocative place that further enriches the dialogue between the works and the exhibition space.

Among the works on display, Paul Netto interweaves Catholic religion and environmentalist themes in pieces such as Our Daily Bread , seeking in sacred space an essential and poor message, close to that of the pauperistic preaching of the mendicant orders. His is also Every One of Us, a book that becomes a custodian of the sacred scriptures with which different cults abound and that in the exhibition becomes a universal message of peace and brotherhood, installed on the rock that was the first altar of the church since ancient times. Bruno Florio, with his research on materials, investigates the formal and expressive balance of materials in several works, such as The Last Supper. Marco Meini, using techniques related to ceramics, creates Mediterranean-inspired figures such as the earth-inspired Wayfarers , while Floriana Gerosa interprets sacred scriptures on concrete surfaces with her large reliefs, which compose a triptych that becomes a stone narrative of the sacred tale entrusted to Christological symbologies. He also makes terracotta sculptures that can be found along the route.

The exhibition opens in the evening from 8:45 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

The Artists

Bruno Florio was born in Venezuela and from a young age took up painting and drawing. Self-taught, since the 2000s he has been experimenting with various materials, producing paintings with glue-soaked fabrics, automatic writing with iron shavings and backlit installations. Floriana Gerosa was born in Milan and received a humanistic education, graduating in Advertising Graphics in Florence. Her artistic career began with sculpture, using clay and later materials such as cement, jute and iron. He has exhibited in numerous shows in Italy and abroad.

Marco Meini has dedicated himself to figurative art since the 1990s, training in sculpture at the Trossi Uberti Art Academy. In the 1990s he approached ceramics, attending numerous courses. Since 2023 he has been a member of the Labronico Group. Paul Netto in the 1990s embarks on a new creative path influenced by matter, using woods, metals and other poor materials. He is a promoter of the group “Working and Walking” with inclusive projects and site-specific installations.

Ad Intra exhibition in Livorno reflects on the sacred in contemporary art

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