“The folds of the soul” – solo exhibition Daniele Basso

Contemporary art enters into dialogue with the solemnity of the monumental complex of the Sanctuary of Oropa, not far from Biella, through Daniele Basso’s solo exhibition “The folds of the soul”, curated by Irene Finiguerra

From July 2 to September 18, 2022, visitors will find nine works, in a path that involves open spaces and other unconventional places, in an ideal itinerary in which art and spirituality meet.

In this exhibition, the artist investigates the hidden places of the human spirit, in particular through a series of monumental sculptures in hand-polished mirrored steel, which create a visual and mental short circuit played on the contrast between the work and the space in which it is placed. These are works that, due to their size, testify to the courage of the artist’s work.

Due to its historical, architectural and naturalistic characteristics, the Sacred Mount of Oropoa was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Places of undeniable charm and strong artistic, as well as religious, interest, the Sanctuary and the Black Madonna, like the entire Oropa basin, have always been a point of reference for the Biella area. The exhibition also intends to enhance them through the placement of the works in little-known or visited points, testifying to how contemporary art can be inserted even in apparently unlikely contexts: a real declaration of love by the artist for his territory.

“It is an honor for me to be able to present my work in Biella, and even more so here in Oropa, a place of the heart for me, full of deep spirituality.”, comments the artist Daniele Basso. “To the proposal of the Rector Don Michele Berchi, joy and great enthusiasm were immediately added to the pride, which fortunately infected Dr. Ferraris first of all with the CRB Foundation team, and then many other friends and sponsors, to whom I am deeply grateful, who made it possible in a very short time to give life to this extraordinary event. Which has also invaded Biella, in the most significant places dedicated to art and beauty, from the Museum of the Territory, to the Historic Palaces of the Piazzo, with the patronage of the Municipality, the well-being of the Mayor Claudio Corradino and the councilors Massimiliano Gaggino for Culture and Barbara Greggio for Unesco, but with a work also at the Government Palace, welcomed by His Excellency the Prefect the Dott.sa Franca Tancredi… In short, a lot of work, but in excellent company! Helped by the careful curatorship of Irene Finiguerra, with the installations of Fabrizio Lava, who celebrates with this collaboration the 30th anniversary of E20Progetti… After Lajatico and Piazza dei Priori in Volterra, an exhibition that is all about dialogue. The deep and often difficult dialogue with ourselves, with our aspirations and our fears. But also the dialogue of art with the places and the territory that hosts it. The dialogue between Oropa and Biella, united in the same event. And finally the uninterrupted dialogue of everyone, starting from the supporters of the event, up to the visitors, with the desire to go beyond the surface of things, into the folds of the soul, towards the essence of life itself… Where better than Oropa to find ourselves!”

INFO: Daniele Basso

PHOTO COURTESY: Alice Kritzman, Stefano Ceretti, Fabrizio Lava, Giuliano Fighera, Luca Guzzo, Mario De Ambrogio, Elvira Camozza, Walter Pellegrino, Daniele Morganti, Daniela Azeglio, Barbara Gillio

Chiara Mattavelli