When Geometry Becomes Emotion - Pietrasanta, The summer exhibition is dedicated to Gustavo Vélez

An exhibition unfolding across multiple pathways: from Piazza del Duomo to the Cloister of Sant’Agostino and the Tonfano Pier

“I have always felt the desire to deconstruct the space around me and then reconstruct it through imagination”. The Colombian sculptor Gustavo Vélez - born in Medellín in 1975 and having arrived in Pietrasanta in 1996 - extracts geometric shapes particularly from marble and bronze, transforming them into emotions and unexpected sinuosities. These curves do not disrupt the original rigor but rather infuse it with human tension and an enveloping sweetness, as if to soften certainexistential sharp edges.

Born in MEDELLÍN in 1975, he arrived in Pietrasanta, where he has been working for thirty years

As he himself has confessed, his points of reference encompass the sobriety and purity of Constantin Brancusi, the exceptional technical mastery of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and reach as far as his fellow countryman Fernando Botero from a human and ethical perspective. These are seemingly distant personalities, yet they help us understand that true art knows no barriers in relationships; instead, it manages to nurture the common, sublime thought that has sparked various compositional forms in artistic harmony. To celebrate his thirty years of artistic activity, Pietrasanta is dedicating a major exhibition to him until September 20th, titled “Le dimensioni dell’equilibrio”. Curated by Francesca Sborgi with the contribution of Eike Schmidt, the exhibition is spread across various locations.

He extracts geometric shapes from marble, transforming them into emotions and unexpected sinuosities filled with human tension

The symbolic heart of the exhibition is Piazza del Duomo, where the works interact perfectly with the surroundings, creating a compositional dialogue that multiplies in a state of continuous becoming. This is made possible by the combined contemplative contrasts formed by marble, bronze, and mirrored steel. Meanwhile, inside the Sant’Agostino Complex, the silence and memory of the venue enhance the narrative moments, which seem to be heralded by the bronze sculpture Fiamma, strategically placed on the church parvis.

The emblematic core of the exhibition is Piazza del Duomo, where the sculptures interact perfectly with the environment in a continuous compositional dialogue

Finally, in Marina di Pietrasanta, the sculptures enter into a persuasive symbiosis with the surrounding sky and sea, which seem to complete their destiny - as suggested, for example, by the sinuous Carrara marble piece titled Cara y Envés and the tormented bronze of Rítmica VII. In short, Gustavo Vélez has not only succeeded in transforming the abstract rigor of the initial structure into a more persuasive or tormented inner rigor suggested by astonishing creativity, but he has also created a perceptive territory rich with unexpected suggestions for all those who manage to enter into a precious symbiosis with him. In this way, over the last twenty years, his act of modulating forms has captivated visitors who have discovered or rediscovered his personal sensitivity through works hosted in prestigious exhibition venues across America, Europe and Asia.

Within the Sant'Agostino Complex, the silence and memory of the place enhance the narrative moments foreshadowed by the bronze sculpture Fiamma