It all starts in Italy, land of artists and architecture. Arcangelo Sassolino was born in 1967 in Vicenza, Italy, and grew up in Trissino. Passionate about new technologies, he creates a three-dimensional puzzle game reminiscent of the Rubik’s Cube and is then hired by Robert Fuhrer at Nextoy LLC, the representative of Casio Creative Products. A masterstroke, he began working for the company in New York, inventing and developing innovative games. After spending six years on the other side of the Atlantic, he returned to his native country in 1996 to create marble sculptures in Pietrasanta. The sculptor then turned to less academic industrial materials, such as stainless steel, glass, and concrete. He strives for each material to give off an emotion. Stones, glass, and all other materials come to life with a sound, a light or a smell. His works are transformed into fantastic thermodynamic mechanical machines that propel him to the Venice Biennale 2022. For example, he reimagines The Decollation of St. John the Baptist (1608), a masterpiece by Caravaggio, as an immersive sculptural installation that juxtaposes the biblical narrative with the history of humanity. The artist’s work will be exhibited at the Malta Pavilion and will be accompanied by a musical composition by Brian Schembri. Both will create an immersive installation, uniting biblical narratives and contemporary culture, inviting viewers to cross a space-time and experience the tragedy and brutality of the martyr’s execution. Arcangelo Sassolino focuses on the concepts of loss, unpredictability, danger, and failure. After all, life is like his sculptures: made up of measured and disproportionate risks, stability, and instability. He invites the viewer to vibrate in tune with his personified creatures.

https://www.arcangelosassolino.it

Flora di Carlo