Artist, poet, painter, playwright, writer and director, Emilio Isgrò is one of the most influential figures of contemporary international art in Italy, an exceptional guest of the Radicepura Garden Festival.
With Sicily in his heart, he leaves the island to move to Milan, where he started his journey into art, creating an incredible artistic revolution since the 1950s and still continuing with Radicepura today.
From the famous eresures, to the Venice Biennale and MoMa in New York, from the poetic writings to the antique drama, Emilio Isgrò returns “at home” by sharing his artistic genius through his work named “Il sogno di Empedocle”.
The installation is inspired by the legend of the eponymous philosopher and scientist and blends harmoniously with other elements belonging to the Sicilian culture: literature, myth and nature meet and give life to the garden on the slopes of Mount Etna and smells like never of orange and lemons.
In the middle, a six-meters lonely stone monoblock, whose texts are in Latin, Greek and other languages, protects a seed jealously. A path made of wooden pathways that leads visitors at the discovery of the garden and its secret core through an easy road.
The passionate man, an untiring artist, a citizen of the world, during an interview says: “As far as my connection with Sicily is concerned, I must say that it is still very strong, but not exclusive, because I come from a family who taught me love and respect for different cultures and people, even the farthest ones. That’s why I feel Brazilian in Brazil, German in Germany and American in America. This doesn’t means that I am not able to see the limits of the people I come across or the faults of my land. “
These are the words of a person who loves freedom and who lives to life’s sake with no fear of facing adversity, as has recently happened: the artist charges with plagiarism the singer of Pink Floyd Roger Waters. The case is still open, but Isgrò continues with the production of his works, perhaps while listening to the very Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, Dark Side of the Moon.
After all, he declared himself a great fan of the band!
On the vibrant sounds of nature, all the staff of the Radicepura Garden Festival takes the opportunity to thank a great artist like Isgrò for his presence and his creativity, genius and always contemporary.
“Il sogno di Empedocle” is the synthesis of an aspiration, hoping that knowledge and culture, as Emilio Isgrò himself states, can finally help us open our eyes.
Art and nature await you at Radicepura to regenerate yourself and find the hidden beauty behind every element.