Sculptor Fabrizio Prevedello Creates in the Silence of the Apuan Alps

Italian sculptor Fabrizio Prevedello, born in Padua in 1972, has established his practice in Versilia at the foot of the Apuan Alps. His work is deeply connected to the surrounding landscape, drawing inspiration from the region's marble and its profound quiet. Prevedello's sculptures explore the concept of 'place' as both a physical and spiritual realm, often using materials like steel, concrete, plaster, and stone to create works that reference architecture. A key series, titled 'Luogo' (Place), investigates themes of exploration, accumulation, and the passage of time. In 2018, he presented a solo exhibition also called 'Luogo' at the Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato, curated by Elena Magini. The exhibition featured three main installations, including 'Rosone (186)', a large vertical steel and glass sculpture acting as a diaphragm between interior and exterior, and a work referencing Carlo Scarpa and Constantin Brâncuși involving an aluminum trough filled with water and a stone. Prevedello's practice involves direct engagement with the Apuan landscape. Starting in 2010, he began creating site-specific interventions called 'Innesto' (Grafting) in disused quarries, where he would carve into the mountain walls to insert pieces of marble he had worked on in his studio. He has completed seven such works across the Apuan and Venetian Alps, documenting the process of walking and carving as a form of meditation and territorial exploration. His artistic approach combines industrial materials with marble fragments, often utilizing discarded stone, reflecting on the coexistence of nature and human activity in a region marked by quarrying. He cites influences ranging from architects Pierluigi Nervi and Tadao Ando to construction workers. While his work is rooted in his environment, Prevedello acknowledges that his sculpture would change in a different context, as evidenced by a 2021 exhibition titled 'Ritratto' (Portrait) where he used universally available materials like plaster and bamboo in a disused factory. The artist's studio is located in a valley industrial zone, while his home is in a mountain village, a separation that provides a beneficial pause and silence.