Francesco Arena

On the occasion of Milan Art Week, Hypermaremma is pleased to present an environmental installation by Francesco Arena, featuring the latest bronze works created at the historic Fonderia Artistica Battaglia, exceptionally open to the public for the occasion. The installation stands as a preview of the large-scale sculptural intervention envisioned by the artist for the VII Edition of Hypermaremma.

Within the spaces of Fonderia Battaglia, where the production process took place, several bronze pieces from La Spiaggia – a limited edition work created for the event – will shape an environment evoking the atmospheres of Maremma Toscana.

La Spiaggia replicates a seashell, on whose surface eleven embossed letters form the word “moltitudine” (multitude). However, when used as a sand mold—similar to those children play with on the shore—and filled with damp sand before being reversed, the negative shape transforms into a positive one, where ten embossed letters spell “solitudine” (solitude). The artwork thus embodies this duality. The single bronze piece, solid and enduring, carries “multitude”, as it can be used endlessly to create countless sand forms. At the same time, however, each positive shape exists in its own “solitude” destined to disintegrate into the fleeting nature of its element, sand, a multitude in itself, formed by the solitude of its infinitesimal yet indestructible grains.

In collaboration with Fonderia Artistica Battaglia and Galleria Raffaella.