featured exhibition
Inner Landscapes | Paesaggi Interiori, a video installation by Angelica Bergamini and curated by Alessandro Romanini and Maurizio Marco Tozzi, marks the beginning of a new season of multimedia work at the MuSA museum in Pietrasanta, a city in northern Tuscany, Italy. This installation artfully weaves together a rich tapestry of visual and auditory elements.
The MuSA museum, also known as “ex Luisi,” was originally built in the early 20th century to house a bustling artistic marble laboratory that employed over a hundred people, including craftsmen, sculptors, and stone cutters. The museum’s headquarters, a former artisan warehouse, forms the northern boundary of the courtyard containing the “ex Luisi.” On May 24th, 2012, after an industrial archaeology project started in 2007 involving the collaborative efforts of multiple institutions, the MuSA opened its doors with the aim of revitalizing this emblematic location. This laboratory-turned-museum is a symbol of human creativity that captures the very spirit of Pietrasanta. The MuSA, located in Pietrasanta, a city renowned for providing the marble used by Michelangelo, has been an institution that blurs the lines between marble processing, architecture, design, innovation, artistic craftsmanship, culture, art, and photography. It serves as a vibrant hub in close synergy with the city itself, attracting national and international artists and professionals alike.
Bergamini’s installation embarks on a profound journey of self-discovery, seeking to unravel the intricate connections between the inner and outer worlds, transcending the boundaries of geography, culture, and belief. Through moving images and original sounds, the installation offers a meditative experience inspired by the artist’s intimate understanding of the inner voice and the cosmic symphony resonating throughout the universe. Central to Bergamini’s exploration is the contemplation of the sacred feminine, examined through the lenses of psychology and theology. Drawing inspiration from ancient times, when the Great Goddess symbolized the Cosmic Womb, the source of all life emerged and returned in an eternal cycle predating monotheistic beliefs.
This approach is evident in the four segments of Inner Landscapes: Will You Fight or Will You Dance, Meditation, Untitled, and Remember. Each segment uniquely contributes to the overarching theme of self-awareness and recognizing our shared origins. Will You Fight or Will You Dance marks the inception of the transformative journey—the video’s enigmatic figure treads along an invisible path, embodying life’s challenges. Through mindful steps, the figure confronts the viewer with a poignant choice: to meet difficulties with resistance or to embrace them gracefully, akin to a dance. Meditation captures a serene tableau featuring a female figure set against an ethereal backdrop, gently closing her eyes in introspection. The video artfully conveys the experience of listening to one’s inner voice amidst tranquil moments of reflection.
Untitled presents a symbolic exploration of the unconscious, depicted through eyes scanning the landscape below. Drawing from Carl Jung’s profound wisdom, the video reminds us that looking inward leads to awakening. Remember is inspired by a bygone era, where the Great Mother embodied the essence of the Great Cosmic Soul. The video’s imagery invites contemplation on the origins of being and the interconnectedness of humanity, transcending cultural, ethnic, and religious divisions. The all-seeing universal eye, representing the Divine Feminine, symbolizes cosmic unity and belonging.
Inner Landscapes represent a journey that, through self-awareness, leads to comprehending our common roots. This universal journey mirrors the ideas of mythologist Joseph Campbell who famously stated, “You need to go deep into the personal unconscious to meet the unconscious of all society and go through the individual to reach the transpersonal.”
All photos courtesy of MuSA museum