SORTILEGIO
ALEX CECCHETTI · curated by Maria Alicata · SEASON II · 16 November 2022 — 15 April 2023
For its Season II, FOROF presents Sortilegio, a site-specific project by Alex Cecchetti that immerses the public in a shamanic environment where nature, perception, and imagination merge into a sensory experience.
Through sound, narration, and scent, the artist invites visitors to return to a primordial dimension, dissolving the boundaries between the human and the natural, and guiding them back to the origins of life.
Suggested hero image: wide view of the installation with the audience immersed in the atmosphere.
A Natural Spell
Sortilegio invites visitors to let go of individual and collective memory and return to a primordial state. Cecchetti creates a poetic language in which nature and spirituality intertwine, transforming FOROF into a dreamlike, sensory space.
Suggested photo: poetic shot of the space with soft lighting and vegetation.
The Path
The journey begins with the Botanical Paintings (2021–2022), created using ancient techniques of natural dyeing and imprinting. These works, born from collaboration with plants and flowers, act as narrative devices that trigger stories and perceptions.
Suggested photo: close-up shot of the Botanical Paintings with visible texture.
The exhibition continues with the Revolutionary Vases, large glazed garden vases inscribed with the artist’s poems and set on carpets of lavender, hops, and hibiscus. Both narrative and sensory elements, these works engage smell and sight simultaneously.
Suggested photo: frontal view of the vases with the floral carpet underneath.
In the hypogeum, the atmosphere turns underwater and dreamlike. Here appear the Medusas, hammock-sculptures covered in silk organza and softly illuminated, floating like lanterns and welcoming visitors and their dreams.
Suggested photo: interior view with soft light and suspended Medusas.
In the archaeological area, Cecchetti installs Onda, a swing sculpture inspired by the natural movement of the sea, made of wood, ceramic, and fabric. The work invites people to sit, swing, and let themselves drift like the tides, the wind, or the seasons.
Suggested photo: people interacting with Onda, low perspective.
A Poetic Dimension
Sortilegio functions as a contemporary ritual. Cecchetti’s works and actions generate a temporal suspension in which nature and the human body merge, reminding us of our interdependence with other species.
Artist’s Voice
“We will return to forests, perhaps we will return to waves. Our identity will be dissolved, our ego forgotten. We will return to coral, we will return to jellyfish. Life is a magical pastime.” — Alex Cecchetti
Public Program
A cycle of Episodes accompanies the project, activating Sortilegio over time. Through performances, poetic interventions, and actions, these appointments deepen the artist’s themes and vision.
Alex Cecchetti
Artist, poet, gardener, and choreographer, Alex Cecchetti’s practice merges natural elements, ritual gestures, and sensory processes. With Sortilegio, he brings to FOROF an immersive experience intertwining poetry and nature.