Stefano Cagol's Lockdown Video 'Reagente' Debuts on Fondazione Rossini Website

The Fondazione Pietro e Alberto Rossini has released a new video work by Stefano Cagol (born 1969, Trento) on its website. Titled 'Reagente,' the piece was produced during the COVID-19 lockdown, which the artist spent in seclusion in the Trentino Alps. The video originates from listening to an audio document in which Alberto Rossini recounts his story as a collector. Cagol identified a recurring number in this narrative: Rossini was born on February 19, began his collection at age 19, and his second-born son Pietro died at 19—the son to whom the foundation is dedicated. In the periodic table, element 19 is potassium (kalium), a soft, silvery alkali metal that can be cut with a knife and produces a violet flame and strong reaction when in contact with water. Fire and water, two opposing elements, symbolize life and death, and the video explores this alchemical dimension relating to words, experience, and the story of the man and collector. Cagol commented: 'Triggering reactions, inducing reflection is a privilege of art, and Alberto knew how to be reactive to these impulses. Chemistry can be an effective metaphor to tell the relationship with art, but also the events of a life in the concatenation between causes and effects, between DNA, destiny and the ability to grasp what surrounds us.' The work is available on the foundation's website.