The work La prima radice is closely linked to the context of San Pantaleo, a small settlement in the Gallura mountains, a few kilometers from the sea. In a house in the center, Ozzola shifts our gaze towards an urban setting: a concrete wall, covered with graffiti, contrasts with the rural architecture of the village to create, paradoxically, a new “harmony”. The center of the wall is broken down: there is a porthole, a horizon, perhaps of the sea. It might open up to many places around the world, but it really doesn’t matter what and where it is. What matters is the invitation to look beyond. The work, in dialogue with the reality of the square (the empty space, the stone houses and the natural elements around it), brings out the genius loci, already devoted to meeting and sharing. The artist recognizes in this specific place a universal attractive capacity, able to transcend the eras and the people who pass through it.
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
Giovanni Ozzola, La prima radice, 2020, Casa parrocchiale, San Pantaleo (SS), Sardegna. Ph. Sara Deidda
IN SAN PANTALEO THE IDEA OF LIGHT AND THE HORIZON MOVES HIGHER, WE ALL LOOK UP, THE ROCKS TEND TO THE SKY. WE APPROACH AND GATHER ATTRACTED BY THIS INVISIBLE HORIZON. THE STAZZU, A MEETING PLACE, OPENS A NEW HORIZON ON A SEA THAT UNITES, AN OBJECT OF DESIRE THAT ATTRACTS US TO ITSELF
Giovanni Ozzola (Florence, 1982) is a multidisciplinary artist who works mainly with photography, but also with videos and installations. Ozzola’s practice demonstrates a profound sensitivity towards the phenomenon of light and its physical characteristics. His main thematic interests lie in conceptualizing and representing the infinite and exploration, both geographic and introspective.
THE CENTER OF THE WALL IS BROKEN DOWN: THERE IS A PORTHOLE, A HORIZON, PERHAPS OF THE SEA. IT MIGHT OPEN UP TO MANY PLACES AROUND THE WORLD, BUT IT REALLY DOESN’T MATTER WHAT AND WHERE IT IS. WHAT MATTERS IS THE INVITATION TO LOOK BEYOND
San Pantaleo is a small village eighteen kilometers from Olbia, nestled among the spectacular granite rocks overlooking the Costa Smeralda. Surrounded by countryside rich in woods and springs (the sources of Beddoro), San Pantaleo is located on a raised knoll and dominates, on one side, the road to “Monti di Mola” (Porto Cervo) and on the other the emerald beaches of Portisco, Rena Bianca, Race of Juncu. The village was settled at the end of the 19th century and is gathered around the pretty granite church built in 1903 in the typical Gallura style, adorned with local wrought iron furnishings. Since the 1970s, a group of artists and painters have populated the village, attracted by its timeless and absolutely informal atmosphere, far from the mundane life of the coast. Painters, decorators and sculptors from all over Europe have given life to a sort of “bohème” and to a highly sought-after production of works in wood, wrought iron, terracotta, and ceramics. The unique pieces of these local artisans, in addition to furnishing the villas in the surrounding area, represent one of the reasons of attraction for the many tourists who flock to the “Mercatino degli Artisti” (Artists’ Market) which is held every Thursday morning from May to October.