Thanks to several and lively discussion with some artists I have the pleasure to work with and to exchange ideas regarding the wonderful and complex art world, I realized how fundamental is the spiritual dimension in the contemporary artistic panorama. In spite of apparences and in spite what we daily see published in specialized art magazines and exhibited at the most important art fairs, contemporarian artists are intimately related to the spiritual sphere, firmly believing in the the spirituality power.

“Spirit. The Spirit in Art” exhibition was originated with the aim to bring the spirituality and the artistic creativity to interact each others and to integrate with any area of the social, of the culture and more generally, of our contemporaneity.

“Spirit” is not only an occasion to develop intense reflexions, considerations and ideas on the spiritual sphere in the artistic universe, but it also promotes and encourages an intercultural exchange thanks to the presence of different nationalities, traditions and cultures brought by the exhibitive artists.
The exhibition wishes also to rediscover, stimulate and bring forth the unlimited possibilities originated from the relation between Art and Spirituality; all artists interpret this theme in the most incline way to their nature and their own personality.

Once again artists aim to demonstrate to the public how the contemporary art is not simply decorativism but it’s the pursuit and the belief in important values which cannot be disregarded in opposition to the technological civilization or anyway to a civilization with no ideologies.

The protagonist of this exhibition is not only the abstract and informal art, thanks to the psychological power of the colour and the pictorial gesture, intrinsic elements of the art making but also the figurative and surreal art, the sculpture and all artistic expressions bring their contribute and their interpretation.

The artist’s sensibility can feel the religious influence but it’s mostly connected to a wider and more complex spirituality concept the artists interpret in relation to their life, their souls, their values, their tradition and, fundamental, their relationship with the Nature. As Catherine Hammond writes about the Aboriginal tradition, Spirituality is the belief and the feeling within ourselves that allows us to become a part of the whole natural environment around us; but also birth, death and life are part of this universe.

Photography also is a lively participant to the spiritual interpretation as the camera seeks to take a portrait not only of the humanity but also of the human beings intention. We meet photographers who, before shooting, need the urgency to feel part of the environment – the future subject of their photos - in intimate syntony with the natural landscapes and and their beauties.

The spirituality, eventually, brings us to the introspection, to the search of us, of our conscious or subconscius distinguish us; artists search the true and values inside themselves; as Confucio said: “What the undeveloped man seeks outside, what the advanced man seeks is within himself”.

The Spirit demostrate to be, inside this exhibitive path, the potential source of every thing that is materialized into matter but also everything is intangible is real. There is no separation between Life and Spirit, they are inevitably connected weather for good or bad creation and this link forms the basis of our human condition.

Spirit exhibition has the pretention to be an invitation to get close to various spirituality aspects which are part of our lives and that artists, thanks to their great sensibility and humanity, feel in their souls the need to share and demonstrate them.

The beautiful and evocative setting provided by the Imbarcadero Rooms of the historic Estense Castle, contributes to set up a greatly suggestive scenery in a variegated range of sensations and emotions.

Paola Trevisan