Reflecting surfaces, fleeting portraits, delicate vibrations: Stefano Tondo's work is rooted in a form of anthropological mysticism where art is the tool of revelation, a time of waiting, a reflection on mankind's most intimate features. His use of brass, in plate form in a broad variety of shapes or else polished to a mirror sheen, point up his interest in a material which, in its kinship with gold, harks back to the metaphysical and to the ancient practice of alchemy. In his environmental installations in 2003, which he produced in conjunction with Irena Kalojdera, he uses brass in the form of fine dust, designing a space that is both mystic and impenetrable.

His fondness for materials with a strong symbological value emerges also in his smaller sculptures which, assembled with hemp, iron and plaster, echo archaic forms and ancient production processes. Over the past few years Tondo's sculpture has left its physical quality behind, taking on a more two-dimensional, installation-based character to produce works of art in which sound plays a crucial role, developing what was a hitherto unexplored trend for him. Plates whittled down in a lengthy production process and forged into shapes reminiscent of single-cell organisms become sounding boards for vibrations triggered by small loudspeakers: an intense and constant sound echoing the deep underlying vibration of the universe and the origin of matter.

Stefano Tondo was born in Lecce in 1974. He was awarded a diploma by the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence in 1998. He worked as a commercial photographer from 1998 to 2002 while continuing to pursue his activity as an artist. He began to show his work in the late 1990's, taking part in several collective exhibitions; his first personal exhibition was held at the Galleria Raggio Verde in Lecce in 2003.

His personal exhibitions include: In-cognito, curated by Lara Vinca Masini in the Limonaia in Villa Strozzi, Florence 2005, and Una ciliegia sul tram, a double personal exhibition with Fabio Cresci, curated by Laura Vecere, Galleria Il Ponte, Florence, 2008. Collective exhibitions in which he has shown his work include: XII Biennale Internazionale di Scultura di Carrara, curated by Bruno Corà, Museo della Scultura, Carrara, 2006; XV Quadriennale d’arte di Roma, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, 2008, and HSP – Hallucinatory Sleep Paralysis, curated by Francesco Funghi, studio MDT, Prato, 2009.

 

www.stefanotondo.com

studiomdt.altervista.org

Address: Studio MDT, Via Marsala 18 (trav. di Via Zarini)

How to get there: Take red LAM bus from Prato central train station bound for Grignano–Le Badie; alight at Valentini 5

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