Cuisine, architecture and art, this is the trinity that characterizes the new collaboration between Sist’Art Gallery and
Casual
, the restaurant of Enrico Bartolini in Bergamo Alta.
The location is that of
Villa Elena
, a princely residence built in the early 1900s, that also includes a beautiful medieval tower.
The scenario is very eclectic and the setting is fluid going from baroque interiors through more austere, almost neoclassical, environments. We are guided through the various halls with figurative decorations and we reach the apotheosis in the mirror’s room, where the light and the game of reflections create a dynamism between
full
and
empty,
creating a fleeting and changing narration.
This architectural complex is located within a park dense of vegetation in
Belvedere San Virgilio
, from where we can appreciate a breathtaking view of the city of Bergamo and its hills.
The artistic selection is also eclectic, in an attempt to pursue the same dynamism of those who conceived the spaces, and also those who married them.
Gianfranco Meggiato
has been placed on the terrace of the Villa, right on the edge of the viewpoint. “
Sfera Doppia”
is
a black color bronze sculpture, that stands out creating a strong contrast with the soft color of the tiles and of the green. Its approach with the surrounding is almost metallic, but the roundness and the movement allow it to softly fit in the space, in the air. Indeed, the interplay of solids and empties let the atmosphere integrate into the sphere and the energy to be constantly renewed and regenerated through movement.
The other art piece,
“Cono Energia”,
stands in an even more decisive way. Although its intertwined elements may recall the branches of the trees in the park, the golden color and pyramidal shape leads it to be almost a Totem, an element from the future, or perhaps from the past? A foreign object that looks like it could not be found anywhere else except in that point, due to its totemic power.
Eric Alfaro
is an American painter originally from Cuba. He has an approach that is very much in line with the specific characteristics of the Villa: naturalistic and narrative, lively and classic. Eric refers to impressionist’s painters and create views of gardens, ponds, fishes swimming under the surface of the water. His compositions are inspired both by the figurative of the past but mainly by the city parks of New York City, where he lives - in the Tribeca district.
The chosen work is a garden with a bridge and the reference is to Giverny, the latest residence of Monet. As it is placed at the entrance of the restaurant, it represents an invitation to explore, to cross that bridge and enter a new condition: the one of
Marco Galtarossa
’s cuisine. The chef in residence has created an ideal ecosystem around him for preparing his dishes while continue studying. In fact, he cultivates his own garden, placed to the west of the Villa, and continue pursuing his search for refined tastes and analytical compositions.
Finally, one of the main rooms has been set up with four works of the urban artist
Jisbar
. These are original drawings depicting the statues of David by Michelangelo and Venus by Alexander of Antioch. Above the drawings he wrote two provocatory sentences such as “
WAKE ME UP WHEN I AM FAMOUS”
and “
LOS NEGOTIONS SON LOS NEGOTIOS”
. This to remind the fact that art is often born as the result of a principal, but it is irretrievably destined to history and celebrity.
The same could be said about the villa, but also regarding the cuisine: made for the consumption, but intended to remain in the extent of an experience or in the content of a recipe.
The invitation is to discover this magical place.
- Enrico Bartolini's Casual Restaurant
- The works for sale by Eric Alfaro in the Sist'Art shop
- Gianfranco Meggiato - His works in the Sist'Art shop
- Information and works of Jisbar