THE UNCEASING TRANSFORMATION OF NATURE: THE ART OF FEDERICO GORI

The concepts of unpredictability and impermanence in nature serve as the foundation of the multidisciplinary work of Tuscan contemporary artist Federico Gori. Expressing his art vision through a diverse range of materials and languages, from engravings, paintings and sculptures to site-specific installations, Gori explores the subject of the relentless passing of time in all its facets.

To investigate and highlight the natural world's transformation process, the artist's research is founded on the awareness that human action is limited in the face of nature, which always holds the final word. Drawing inspiration from the organic forms he selects, Gori renders engravings and natural oxidation on copper polyptychs that feature repeated patterns. Displaying a highly symbolic minimal landscape of memories of fossils, current and extinct plants, his work goes beyond the reproduction of reality. It is suspended between past and present, and tells of a fluid narrative that escapes temporal linearity.

“I employ techniques and materials that force internal and external transformations upon my work. These changes, whether predictable or not, give life to the piece, which rarely finds a single, definitive form.”

While working with copper, the idea of lack of control over the final artwork is a key aspect of Gori's poetics, developing around the impossibility for man to rule time or completely dominate matter. Being a highly mutable element, this metal changes its composition and appearance, giving the artwork the status of a living art piece moving across time, in continuous evolution. The copper responds to environmental stimuli, perfectly reiterating the life cycle that Gori intends to convey through his artwork.

A selection of Gori’s works, from the series Estinti, Pattern and Perenne, is exhibited within the refined interiors of Molteni Flagship Store in the heart of Manhattan, a project designed by Vincent Van Duysen that brings Italian elegance into the vibrant New York architecture. This is a journey through natural history, from deep roots and timber to extinct plant life. To the viewer, it provokes a powerful experience, opposite feelings of bewilderment and profound comfort, characteristic of solitary, contemplative spaces.

Bringing together six different species of extinct plants, Estinti displays a kaleidoscope of the sinuous lines of fossils, unravelling myriad perspectives and a subtle equilibrium between figurative and abstract representation. To create the imprints, the artist drew on the few archaeological remains of the plants that lived on Earth at different times, including Cooksonia, Psilophyton, Zamites, Schizostachys Pinnata, Sphenophyllum, and Anomozamites. The plant imprints are transformed into repeatable patterns, yet differing one from the other. Thanks to the natural oxidation process and the use of acids and salts, each copper element is unique, just like the living organisms from which they originate.

“From the roots to the foliage, plants are constructed on a diffuse model, the opposite of the centralised animal model. It is an organisation that allows for freedom and strength at the same time.” 

Repetition is a fundamental part of nature, comprising visible regularities of forms in multiple contexts. Gori directly refers to this idea in the Pattern series, a coherent group of works where the roots of the trees are the main subject of investigation. As a secret and vibrating underground network, as well as an expression of a living communication system, roots are the site of the command center of the plants. With functions similar to those of the human brain, they receive information from sensory receptors, process it, and implement growth strategies.

Indeed, at the heart of Gori’s research lies the artist's attempt to understand the life cycles of organisms, along with his process of observation and interaction with the environment. This is visible in the wall pieces from the series Perenne, which presents the imprint of a cross-section of a tree trunk acting as a generator of images.

Each artwork in this series simultaneously embeds two temporal linearities, the present and the past. While the original drawings of the imprints are destined to change in the future, the inherent message of the tree's trunk remains permanent. As storytellers of past events, their rings are a true natural archive that narrates the story of the forest they have grown in, their age and health, as well as the evolution of the climate.

Reflecting the artist’s interest in the Sign Art painting and fully embracing the lesson of the Art Informel, Federico Gori's (Pistoia, 1977) engravings present an uncanny repetition of never-the-same marks and scratches. During his career, he has been awarded the prestigious ministerial Italian PAC 2024 and PAC 2020, art residencies at La Panacée, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Montpellier, and Nanjing University, Jiangsu P. R. China, among others. He has presented his works in numerous significant institutions and museums, including the Biennale Arte di Venezia, Palazzo Fabroni in Pistoia, the Museo Archeologico di Taranto, Collezioni Gori at the Fattoria Celle in Pistoia, Fondazione Biagiotti Arte and Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. 

The art of Federico Gori engages with the modernist-influenced Pavilion by Vincent Van Duysen

Unique pieces from the series Perenne and Pattern dialogue with the architectural gem designed by Vincent Van Duysen, part of the Molteni&C Compound in Italy. Following a holistic vision that unites the environmental, human, and architectural, Gori’s modular pieces introduce visitors to an organic visual journey where the language of art suffuses the spirit of the building. The interplay of shadows and lights falling on the cangiante surface of the works and the fluid movement of the engraved lines contribute to creating a sophisticated and warm space, an environment meant to inspire wonder and awe.

C R E D I T S :

Photography of Gori's work at both Molteni&C New York and Compound: photography by Daniel Civetta

Quotes by Federico Gori and Stefano Mancuso

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