IN TODAY’S WORLD A VERY
IMPORTANT UNIT OF MEASURE OF "QUALITY" IS THE "SIZE" OF WHAT
ONE MAKES: THE HEIGHT, WIDTH, DEPTH, WEIGHT, LACK OF WEIGHT,
THE SQUARE METERS, CUBIC METERS, KILOGRAMS, TONS.
ACTUALLY THE IDEA OF SIZE AS
A GUARANTEE OF QUALITY IS AN OLD ONE. THE EGYPTIANS ALREADY HAD
IT, WITH THEIR PYRAMIDS, THE SUMERIANS WITH THEIR ZIGGURATS,
THE PERSIANS WITH THEIR PALACES. THE GREEKS WERE SOMEWHAT LESS
CONCERNED WITH SIZE, WITH THEIR PARTHENONS, BUT THE ROMANS WERE
CERTAINLY CONSCIOUS OF IT WITH THEIR COLOSSEUMS AND THEIR
IMMENSE GOVERNORS’ VILLAS. TO A GREATER OR LESSER EXTENT IN ALL
THESE SITUATIONS THE PROBLEM WAS THAT OF MAKING HUMAN FRAILTY
COME TO TERMS WITH THE OBSCURITY OF THE UNKNOWN, THE DIMENSION
OF THE DIVINE.
TODAY, ON THE OTHER HAND,
QUALITY IS THE CAPACITY TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE DIMENSION OF
ECONOMIC POWER, WITH THE SIZE OF GIGANTIC HIDDEN MULTINATIONAL
CORPORATE INTERESTS, WITH THE DIMENSION OF THE SECRET, SILENT
POWER OF BANKS.
MY FRIENDS AND ART DEALERS,
PAOLO, ANNAMARIA AND BRUNO, ALSO FELL FOR THE THEME OF SIZE
WHEN THEY TOLD ME: "MAKE OBJECTS IN SILVER, BUT BE SURE TO MAKE
THEM BIG".
AND I FELL FOR IT TOO WHEN I
REPLIED: "VERY WELL, I SHALL MAKE THEM BIG".
SO WE HAVE THIS EXHIBITION, "TWENTY
BIG SILVER OBJECTS".
THEN, AS I BEGAN TO DESIGN
THE BIG SILVER OBJECTS, TO GET OVER MY RELUCTANCE I THOUGHT
THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO BECOME A SUPPORT OR BASE FOR JUST
ONE OR TWO FLOWERS, OR JUST THREE ORANGES, SOMETHING LIKE WHAT
IS DONE IN ORIENTAL CULTURES, AMONG THE CHINESE, THE JAPANESE
OR OTHERS I DON’T KNOW ABOUT.
IN THE EAST, EVEN TODAY, THEY
ARE HAPPY TO ECSTATICALLY CONTEMPLATE A SINGLE FLOWER, PERHAPS
WITH A FEW BRANCHES, OR SOME LEAVES RESTING ON A BEAUTIFUL
SURFACE.
THIS IS HOW THEY ORGANIZE THE MYSTERIOUS
SPECTACLE OF PHOSPHORESCENT BIRTH, OF GLORIOUS LIFE THAT
MINGLES, LITTLE BY LITTLE, WITH DEATH.
