VELIO FERRETTI
Velio Ferretti's work moves between two opposites: an investigation conducted on the surface, between material reliefs and chromatic densities, and a desire to overcome the boundary imposed by the two-dimensionality of the canvas. In the first case, the artist’s attention is focused on the "skin" of the painting, on everything that lies on the surface, from the tactile sensations evoked by the layering of cement, sand, glue and other materials onto the canvas, to the process that blends together individual and often conflicting elements. A mirror, we could say, to the complexity of existence, wrought through the accumulation of experiences, that leave either indelible marks or short-lived traces, creating memories destined to endure in time and others that are impossible to retain. Proceeding, layer upon layer, Ferretti performs an operation not unlike that of an archaeologist, carefully reassembling the fragments of long-forgotten cultures, piecing together the relics of a way of life, of its principles and values. From this reference point of the "here and now" visible on the surface, to the manipulation of matter and colour. In other works, we can observe a different path. Here he removes where he had previously added, applying to the canvas only what encourages the eye to overcome the limit of the support: a net, a cut, an effect of light, signs of a border, signifying a goal to be reached or a wound to heal. By subtracting instead of adding, the artist is able to reveal the very essence of things, their hidden and deeper meanings, and take us on a journey through and beyond the visible, and into the body of the work itself.
[Daniela Pronestì]