Events

SPORTING MARBLE
A photographic project in aid of UILDM (Italian Union for the Fight Against Muscular Dystrophy)

curated by Giulia Talini e ValentinaLaura Rosi

Right from ancient times art and sport have been intrinsically intertwined, and by the period 700 to 500 BC in Greece, inseparable to the point that is now almost inconceivable to imagine artistic evolution without its provenance in the competitions of yesteryear.

Some of history’s finest pieces have exemplified not just the human form, but that of the honed physique of the sportsman. It was his  study of the athlete’s body which formed the basis of Polykleitos’s renowned canon of work and his famous Doryphoros whilst Myon’s Diskobolos  so beautifully captured the very moment before the thrower uncoils his body to launch his discus. Then there is Lysippus who immortalised the solemn gestures of the athlete  Apoxyomenos, cleaning himself down at the end of a competition.

And of course there is no more significant example of the union between art and sport than that offered by the Olympic Games where in olden times it became a forum in which artists and students made the most of the moment to try and gain public recognition. Yet another strand in the indivisible bond between art and sport was formed by the fact that every Olympic winner earned the right to have a statue erected in their name.

In fact it was the very idea of statues and their enduring link to marble which was the starting point for this project. Here we are under the stunning Apuan Alps of Versilia, just a stone’s throw away from the quarries of Carrara from which the raw material for so many of the world’s outstanding works of art have been carved. And it was this that lead to the concept of a relook in a contemporary key of that ancient link between art and sport, via the power of photography.

And to close the circle with the past, we have the symbolism of Pietrasanta, affectionately referred to as “Little Athens”. The perfect place to pay homage not only to the incredible commitment of our local athletes who have achieved fame on the world stage, but also to acknowledge the nearby towns which have, from an artistic point of view, helped make Italy an international powerhouse.

So the idea of this project was born, and with it, the desire to give something back to our region and a charity which has worked tirelessly for years to help those who do not enjoy the power of the human body.

Furthermore, for us it was important to make a project of Art which could be useful for a good cause, donating the proceeds to an association of our territory, UILDM Versilia which has for many years working hard to help those afflicted by muscular dystrophy.
Giulia Talini