Intimate Sculpture Show in Carrara Pairs Master and Student

At Palazzo Binelli in central Carrara, the exhibition 'A tu per tu' presents an intimate dialogue between sculptor Piergiorgio Balocchi (Siena, 1954) and his former student Beatrice Taponecco (Sarzana, 1987). The show eschews monumental pretensions, instead offering a cabinet of wonders with found objects, tangles, and precious items. Among the works are 81 miniature self-portraits—photographic prints on paper that resemble paintings, depicting a twig, a reed, a woman's body, or an enveloping forest clearing. Taponecco abandoned a corporate career in energy to pursue sculpture, studying at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara under Balocchi. Balocchi arrived in Carrara around 1977, working in the workshops of Cherubino Binelli, Cardenas, Rero De Silvestris, and Carlo Nicoli, guided by Natale, a friend of Libero Andreotti. His large-scale sculptures have been commissioned for South Korea, Morocco, and Turkey. Both artists draw inspiration from the Apuan Alps and the Sienese landscape; Balocchi's work references Byzantine art and features trees with shadows as sundials. The exhibition runs at Palazzo Binelli in Carrara.