Attraversamenti in luce. Premio Campigna 2016

The Campigna Award is an important event both nationally and internationally. Over the past years, it has been curated by authoritative historians such as Marco Valsecchi, Mario De Micheli, Luigi Carluccio, Francesco Arcangeli, Enrico Crispolti, Renato Barilli, Claudio Spadoni, Fabio Cavallucci, Adriano Baccilleri, and others.
The different editions have hosted artists like Giulio Turcato, Ennio Morlotti, Alberto Sughi, Sergio Vacchi, Giovanni Cappelli, Concetto Pozzati, Giosetta Fioroni, Mattia Moreni, Umberto Mariani, Hidetoshi Nagasawa, Anne and Patrick Poirier, Giuseppe Marianiello, Piero Manai. This year, for its 57th edition it offers a new image of itself and deals with different issues. In the light of these changes, the 2016 Prize has been awarded to Giulio De Mitri. In the so-called post-modern civilization, or better at the time of globalization, nanotechnologies and the net, this artist shuns from market rules and fashion's dictates to follow a path that values rigour, clarity and a renewed spiritual need. Giulio De Mitri is an innovative and experimental artist whose research is poetical and philosophical at the same time. His path is rigorous but coherent, he has long been analysing the connections between identity, sophisticated technology and mystical lyricism while at the same time remaining faithful to his own time and history.
The Prize consists in the organization of three events planned as follows: 1. project and realization of a site-specific public work to be built in the outdoor Park of Sculptures, which already hosts an important, and by now historical, collection of majestic sculptures by important names in contemporary art (from Staccioli to Carrino, from Nagasawa to the Poiriers); 2. a solo show in the the Gallery of Contemporary Art "Vero Stoppioni" in Santa Sofia; 3. the direction of an artist -in -residence programme dedicated to youth's creativity.
The two exhibitions are curated by Renato Barilli, scientific director, critic and art historian.
This 57th edition of the Campigna Award has followed a path dedicated to contemporary art and culture.
The artist's bright artwork offers a moment of active creativity and " ancestral light". De Mitri wisely manipulates the elements of nature and the sophisticated tools of technology by following - as Renato Barilli puts it - a "path that overturns the mythical course followed by Prometheus. Prometheus stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to mankind, thus lowering it to Earth and almost degrading it. De Mitri, instead, starts from the deep seabed, and brings back flickering energy that will gain strength in the outside world. Once more a man dares the Gods, almost as if wanting to climb Mount Olympus again, making a very proud gesture inspired by the confidence we today get from technology".