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Interview
WHAT ARE THE FOUNDATIONS OF YOUR RESEARCH? (ART IDENTITY)
Being able to talk about my journey as an artist which is also my life is not
simple. It was a journey without resolution of continuity between art, spirituality and research, well demonstrated by a phrase, for me a mantra, written in a book alchemist of 1670 the “Mutus Liber”, which reads Pray, read, read, read,
reread, work and finally you will find. I have always led a reserved, almost monastic life, closed in on my own workshop/laboratory away from the spotlight, cultivating my passions. I like to think of myself as a “Renaissance man,” both for the intense multifaceted activity, both because I have always tried to combine artistic expression and scientific research, visionary imagination of the artist and the constant research and experimentation of the scientist, in a continuous tension between fantasy and logic. From my first steps I combined intense research and studying
dozens of texts relating to the technology and metallurgy of the ancients, treated alchemists and goldsmiths and recipe books of all sorts, experimenting with them, al at the same time, both the materials and the most disparate techniques and apparently absurd. The study of alchemy then led me to add depth spiritual to my artistic experience.
As with the alchemists, in fact, the ultimate goal was to lead man towards a spiritual evolution, an expressed condition metaphorically from the transmutation of lead into gold, even the real one artist must aim to spiritually enrich himself and, of consequently, the human race thanks to his work. This intense activity has allowed me, on the one hand, to trace new research paths, adopting completely personal approaches and experimenting new formal and material solutions, and on the other, to rediscover some "secrets" or rather methodologies of metallurgy and goldsmithing been lost. I have thus produced a corpus of works that unfolds between past and present
future. Works in gold and/or bronze, with techniques dating back 3000 years. Steel sculptures in which the void gives rise to the forms, and the form it is nothing but chaos that is composed time after time, in continuous evolutions, both plastic and abstract, evolutions, freed from the game of mass and penetrated by light.
Until my latest collection, “Wave functions”, metallic surfaces, sparkling, reflective, capable of emphasizing the compelling presence of waves energetic, which pervade everything and which refer directly to physics quantum, investigating unprecedented dimensions in time and space. All unique pieces at first glance very different from each other, but permeated by a single purpose, the endless search for Beauty and Harmony.
WHICH ARE THE ARTISTS WHO HAVE YOU ON THE LINE
GUIDANCE IN YOUR SEARCH?
There are no specific artists. My artistic journey had as points
three unique certainties:
- a great ability to observe,
- the insatiable curiosity towards the surrounding world,
- the obsessive search for Beauty.
A concept among other things that I couldn't define, no one knows exactly what be it beauty, ethereal, elusive, mysterious, we only notice it when we find ourselves faced with one of its manifestations. The only thing that I can say with certainty, and that only when an external observer will grasp in my work such beauty, I will be able to consider my work complete..
DEFINE YOURSELF AS A HUMAN BEING USING THREE
ADJECTIVES.
kind, humble, curious
ACCORDING TO YOUR VISION, WHERE IS IT GOING AND WHERE
WOULD YOU LIKE CONTEMPORARY ART TO HAPPEN?
I don't know where it's going, or where it will go. I only wish she could be a source of inspiration for the new generations, and that it would return to being the tip of the iceberg of human knowledge.
Two words about his works
Andrea Cagnetti, known professionally as Akelo, is an Italian goldsmith, designer and sculptor, internationally known for his extremely interconnected creative path supported by studies and research in various fields. He was born in 1967 in Corchiano (Viterbo), a village built on the ruins of the legendary Etruscan city of Fescennia. Not only his birthplace, but also his upbringing led him to fulfil his destiny: to become an artist and
master goldsmith. As a teenager, he concentrated on the techniques used in ancient times relating to metallurgy, ceramics, medicine and the working of stone, glass and textiles. After graduating from high school, he moved to Rome, where he worked as a graphic designer in advertising for a few years. Then he decided to leave the frenetic lifestyle of the big city and return to his home town, where he devoted himself exclusively to his vocation, adopting the professional name Akelo (from Achelous, the Greek god of water). It is a vocation that is not built on the desire for celebrity, glamour, travel and hectic schedules, as is often the case. Rather, it was cultivated in a monastic retreat, in the silence and peace of the Etruscan land. Just like a true Renaissance Man who wanted to isolate himself in his tiny 'workshop' where he can be and feel true to himself. Today, his works draw inspiration from a body of different studies, ranging from ancient or alchemical knowledge, to contemporary scientific investigations, and honour everything from classicism to the most daring abstraction. Akelo’s works are very different one from another, demonstrating an eclecticism and visionary spirit which are rare on the contemporary art scene. Instead they are infused with a single aim: Beauty and Harmony. The artist’s work has been exhibited in several national and international exhibitions in recent years, some have been acquired by important museums and private collections. He has received numerous awards from critics, scholars and the media in many countries, as well as being the subject of countless publications, reviews and television appearances. These underline not only the artist's talent and stylistic originality, but also the value of his research, which has been included in the studies of many art institutes.
* All Akelo's sculptural works are made using industrial steel waste as raw material, which thus begin a new life, transforming into long-lasting works of art, according to the principles of upcycling. This practice involves, in fact, the use of waste materials which, once their life cycle is over, are transformed into new objects with a new function and added value.
Very different from simple recycling, upcycling, in addition to creating value, combats the throwaway culture,
allows us to contain energy consumption and reduce the costs of raw materials and production, thus becoming a virtuous example of the circular economy supply chain.
