Libero Maggini | Biography

Born in Viareggio in 1970, Libero Maggini is the son of twoartists: his father a sculptor and hismother a ceramist.He started to draw comics when he was a child, then,after getting his diploma at the artistic Highschool hespent one year in London to study English. When he cameback to Viareggio, he worked with his father to thepreparation of the scenographies of the “FestivalPucciniano” an experience wich brought to maturity hispassion for sculpture and persuaded him to attend theAccademia di Belle Arti di Carrara.In 2008 the Carnival Foundation commissioned him therealization of a bronze work for the town of Viareggio -and that is when MAGGIO, his fist important project wasborn. Maggio is an unusual group of five sculptures nowinstalled at the end of the western port, that marked the

beginning of a new artistic itinerary when Libero began to work in somelaboratories in Pietrasanta, creating many original bronze, terracotte and marbleworks and lately, exploring, the mysterious world of graffiti.Starting from the drawing and the expressiveness of figures, the artist worksdifferent materials with apersonal and very unusual touch.Moulding materials with absolute freedom, led him to experience differenttechniques and to compare himself with every day reality, fact that can berecognised in the expressions full of kindness and humanity of his sculptures.Maggini’s curious and sensitive eye allows him to express himself in a fresh, naturalway that can be immediately perceived in his works. Each of them becomes astage in his life, a way to reflect and communicate a careful and continuousinterior research, revealing an intricate tangle of emotions, impulsiveness andfeelings. In the last year he attended to several art fairs in Milan, Hong Kong andSingapore, where his scultptures were exhibited.

DEODATO ARTE – Lugano (CH) – Milan (IT) – Hong Kong – galleria@deodato-arte.it – tel.0239521618

COMMEDIA – The new project by Libero Maggini

In the play (“commedia” in italian) One, No One and One Hundred Thousand theauthor Pirandello makes an exemple of his theory of the mask: one is thepersonality that a man thinks to have, one houndred thousand are thepersonalities the he hides behind his mask (as many as the society perceives), butno one of these are real, because he has none.In Maggini's sculptures the assumption is that there is no personality in these men.As a matter of fact, we can see as these figures above a bronze base all look thesame. Their clothes, hair and face are identical. It can change the color, butbesides that, we can not distinguish them. Only when they weare their masks theystop to be “no one”.Since the ancient civilization, the use of masks had a strong mystic value. Thesymbolism of the mask was important for religious and magical functions, and stillnowadays we can see everywhere how this object has to do with popular traditionand anthropological studies.For Maggini masks give voice to these faded men, and just like in most of mysticbelieves, they are not a medium to transform or to hide our identiy but, to reallybecome that “mask”.It's not a coincidence that the artist choose animals, as in the primitive cultures.

Funny story: the whole project was at first inspired by the favourite rock band ofMaggini, the Talking Heads.

DEODATO ARTE – Lugano (CH) – Milan (IT) – Hong Kong – galleria@deodato-arte.it – tel.0239521618