“Mare Nostrum”: Andrea Roggi's sculptures in Liguria. First stop Portofino.
Galleria Ravagnan is the curator of the open-air exhibition Mare Nostrum, presented across three Ligurian cities: Portofino, Genoa, and Alassio.
With the traveling exhibition Mare Nostrum, Andrea Roggi brings his sculptures along the Ligurian coast, where the dialogue between sea, matter, and light opens a new chapter in an artistic journey already begun with the cycle of exhibitions Terra Mater. The stages of Mare Nostrum include three cities: from March 27 to August 30 in Portofino, from May 20 to November 5 in Genoa, and from June 6 to November 5 in Alassio.
In each location hosting the works, the sculptures engage in a relationship with the landscape and with the history of the Mediterranean. They become images of a humanity that has always looked to the sea as a starting point, a horizon to strive toward. The sea welcomes the forms of bronze, reflects them on the water, and brings them into dialogue with light and the surrounding environment.
Mare Nostrum is, above all, an invitation to recognize the sea as a shared space, a place that throughout history has connected different peoples and cultures. The sculptures thus become a bridge between humanity and nature, evoking ancient routes and new beginnings.
“Andrea Roggi’s traveling project Mare Nostrum is the result of an important collaborative effort and marks Galleria Ravagnan’s first presence in Portofino, following several experiences already initiated in Liguria with exhibitions by Bruno Catalano and Giorgio Tentolini in Genoa and Alassio. For years, Galleria Ravagnan has promoted public art initiatives throughout Italy, involving internationally recognized artists and fostering a direct dialogue between artworks, places, and communities. This open-air exhibition, free and open to the public, offers an opportunity to discover the poetics of Maestro Andrea Roggi through recent works and pieces presented for the first time.” – Chiara Ravagnan
Each exhibition creates an encounter between the strength of matter and the movement of the waves, where Andrea Roggi’s art engages with the sea and the surrounding landscape. In this setting of extraordinary beauty, the exhibition project Mare Nostrum takes shape: a journey that intertwines art and territory, guiding Andrea Roggi’s sculptures along an ideal route across Liguria, from the timeless charm of Portofino to the historic breath of Genoa and the golden light of Alassio. Each city preserves a unique shade of the sea, each harbor a story of journeys, exchanges, and horizons. Mare Nostrum is a path that weaves together art and place, leading Roggi’s sculptures along an ideal route from east to west. His works- trees rooted in memory and spheres opening toward the cosmos - enter into dialogue with squares and piers, transforming each stage into an encounter between matter and infinity.
"Mare Nostrum" begins in Portofino.
During the Portofino Days, the exhibition of two monumental works by Andrea Roggi - "Love that Generates Life” and “Levitas” - will also be inaugurated, remaining on display from March 27 to August 30.
Portofino is a natural amphitheater where sea and vegetation embrace in perfect balance, preserving a beauty that speaks to the world with an ancient yet ever-renewed voice. Here, every stone and every glimpse tells a story of encounters and journeys, while the local community - careful guardian of such wonder - lives daily the art of hospitality and the care of its heritage.
“We are very pleased to host in Portofino the two bronze sculptures by Maestro Roggi; they blend perfectly with our landscape, adding beauty and creating harmony in our splendid village. Thanks to these works, we will have an extra touch of class and culture during the Easter holiday period.” – Giorgio D’Alia, Deputy Mayor of Portofino.
In this context of rare perfection, the monumental sculptures of Maestro Andrea Roggi present themselves as silent amplifiers, ready to intertwine their poetic strength with the enchantment of the village. The bronze, shaped into forms that celebrate roots, growth, and harmony, finds in Portofino a natural dialogue with the profiles of the promontory and the intensity of its sea, transforming squares and perspectives into places of contemplation and encounter. Their presence is not mere ornament, but a gesture capable of generating cultural resonance, new connections, and paths of discovery for residents and visitors alike. Illuminated by the prestige of the town, Roggi’s art becomes an even more powerful international attraction, reinforcing Portofino’s role as an exclusive destination where nature, creativity, and community spirit merge into a narrative that transcends time and speaks to anyone in search of beauty and inspiration.
“Reaching the realization of this exhibition represents an important moment for me, as it marks the natural continuation of an artistic path already begun with Terra Mater, which now finds new development in the Mare Nostrum project. In this dialogue between elements, sculpture and nature create a profound union that finds in Liguria and in the cities hosting the exhibition an ideal place to express itself. I would like to thank the Liguria Region for welcoming and supporting this exhibition, together with the organizing bodies Portofino Days and Lyges, in collaboration with the City of Alassio and the Municipality of Genoa, and with the curatorship of Galleria Ravagnan, with whom I am honored to maintain a relationship of esteem and collaboration that makes possible the realization of cultural projects of this scale. The dialogue with the element of water and the sea thus becomes the guiding thread of a journey that begins in Liguria and will continue in Sardinia, opening a new scenario of artistic and cultural connection in the heart of the Mediterranean.” – Andrea Roggi
Lěvitās
Lěvitās originates from the theme of water, the primordial source and generative principle of life. Through bronze – a strong and ancient material – Andrea Roggi succeeds in evoking the lightness of flowing waves, their clarity, and their continuous motion: water becomes energy, balance, and breath. From the fluid surface of the sculpture emerge two figures, a man and a woman, who meet and unite in an ascending gesture. Their bodies seem to lose weight, rise from matter, and soar into flight, transforming their union into a symbol of vital and spiritual harmony. In Lěvitās, we find some of the central themes of Roggi’s artistic research: the Energy of Life, the dialogue between matter and spirit, and the tension toward a higher equilibrium. Water is not merely a natural element, but a creative force: it generates, sustains, purifies, and accompanies the movement of existence. In this way, bronze becomes light, luminous, and almost suspended, offering a poetic vision of life as it is born, united, and elevated.
