Luciano Massari (Carrara, 1956 – )
Luciano Massari, a sculptor and a true interpreter of Carrara marble, a material that fascinates artists from all over the world, engages in an artistic practice that has taken him from his hometown, Carrara, to Easter Island, from Milan to Trinidad. He has always been interested in the mental dimension of travel as a moment of confrontation with one’s inner self. In the early 2000s, he explored the theme of the island through his relationship with marble.
“The tie that originated and continues to develop is unique, deeper than a maternal bond and more intense than love, almost the relationship between the creature and his creator. It is a millennia-old bond fed on the energy of thousands of men who, in stone, have found their work, their livelihood, their defense as well as their expression and communication. Stone has accompanied Man on his path, bearing witness to life, telling stories with the unadulterated strength of centuries. It is precisely for this intrinsic quality that stone has been the essential element in man’s constructed work.”
— Luciano Massari, in Gori Collection: Site Specific Art at the Fattoria di Celle, ed. Gli Ori, Pistoia, 2009, p218
Massari’s exploration of the relationship between art and Carrara marble is further explored in the book Il Parco dellaPadula. Il marmoprotagonistadell’artecontemporanea a Carrara, curated by Giuliano Gori, which delves into how marble has played a central role in contemporary art in Carrara.
