Pablo Atchugarry, “The awakening of nature” The first major public exhibition in Lucca

From June 4 to September 4, 45 monumental sculptures will be on exhibit on the walls from the
16th century, in the streets, in atriums and in two indoor spaces. The open-air exhibition will continue until September 30. Also, for the first time there are the wooden works of the Uruguayan artist known worldwide for his marbles that seem to float in the sky.

Lucca, May 16, 2022 - #pabloatchugarry, one of the most important exponents of the international
contemporary art scene, presents in #lucca his first major public exhibition from June 4 to
September 4, the city will host "The Awakening of Nature", a diffuse installation along a route that
winds through the interior of the 16th century walls, the streets of the city center, the atriums of
the city's most important churches and two indoor exhibition venues.

Marbles that seem to float towards the sky, bronzes and wooden works, exhibited for the first time
in a public exhibition, dialogue with the cultural, historical and artistic tradition of the city of preRoman origins: the exhibition, curated by #gianguidograssi, organized by the Fondazione Banca del Monte di #lucca, Fondazione #lucca Sviluppo and Associazione Start - Open your eyes, with the
contribution of the Comune di #lucca, brings together a total of 45 sculptures. The exhibition is
sponsored by the Consiglio Regionale della Toscana, Confindustria Toscana Nord and CNA of #lucca.

Ten wooden works will be exposed at the Chiesa dei Servi, built in the late 1300s, while spectacular
works in white Carrara, Belgian black and Portuguese pink marble will be housed in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, along with some bronzes.
Five works will be placed outdoors, in the main places of interest in the historic center: Piazza San
Martino, l'Agorà, Piazza San Michele (the ancient forum), Porta San Pietro, on the walls of the bastion of San Frediano. The open-air exhibition will continue until September 30.

"With this exhibition - Andrea Palestini, in words of the President of the Fondazione Banca del Monte di #lucca - Lucca's Palazzo delle Esposizioni is once again hosting an internationally renowned name and an event of great emotional impact that, both inside and outside the palace, will dialogue with our city, its inhabitants and the many visitors who have returned to animate it."

"At this moment in history - express the curator of the exhibition GianGuido Grassi- we need to
rediscover values where hope and beauty seem to offer humanity an anchor of salvation: the artist
with his creativity approaches the Primordial Principle from which the universe arises; the sculptor
liberates matter to make a new work: hence the title of the exhibition, "The awakening of nature."
In front of Pablo’s sculptures, whether they are olive tree roots, Carrara marble statues or bronze
castings, we feel a special emotion, we perceive a mystery, a kind of prayer. Quoting Plato: "The
power of the Good has taken refuge in the nature of the Beautiful".

"I love Italy- says artist Pablo Atchugarry- where I arrived as a young man when I left my homeland, Uruguay, to come to Europe and take advantage of the sources of culture. It was the Journey; the first city was Rome, in 1977, then Paris, Copenhagen. At that time, in order not to pay for the hotel, I traveled by train at night. The exhibition in Rome in 2015 was the realization of a dream; my sculptures were in dialogue with more than two thousand years of history. In Italy, in Lecco, in front of the Lake Como, I have stayedthe rest of my life where my children have been raised. Today I can say that Italy is our country, where I live and of which I am a citizen".

"I feel attached to Tuscany, - Atchugarry continues - I went to the Apuan Alps for the first time in
1979. It was a turning point for my career; I got to know the origin and beauty of marble, which has
become the privileged material of my work. Marbles are sons of the mountain and belong to the
world; so are my sculptures that have legs and, like a father, I see them come out and acquire a life
of their own. Sometimes I think that all these vertical works of mine, these points, are nothing more
than invocations, a questioning, a going to see the stars: to perceive the energy of the Universe, to
rediscover the primordial elements to make the journey between matter and light".

"Lucca is an international city on a human scale. For the historical meaning that I would like to give
to this exhibition, and for the first time in my life, I am presenting a selection of sculptures in wood,
a Giardino degli Olivi, symbol of the Resurrection, sculptures arising from the roots of centuries-old
trees that were not destined to die. We all need roots, they are nourished by the earth, they are
what allow us to ascend towards the sky. Like the plants of the Amazon, I try to raise my sculptures
towards the light: freeing themselves from the weight of matter and the fatal downward pull of life,
they direct their gaze towards the sky, opening the way to freedom and hope. I believe that this is
the mission of art and beauty or, at least, the one I try to fulfill every day with the effort of my work
as a sculptor".