Untitled

The sculptor observes, listens and allows himself to be inspired by the marks that time has impressed upon the stone. 

Freedom of expression is sometimes shaped by what nature has already spoken. This is the challenge embraced by the sculptor when working on a boulder — in this case, a block of Piasentina stone. Bruno Gabrieli sought a path to unite his own voice with that of the stone, telling the story of both. 

At the centre of the work, the viewer’s gaze penetrates towards an opening that promises — yet does not flaunt — light, revealing it only through a shift in perspective. Toward this luminous void converge concave and convex forms, smooth and rough surfaces, natural veins and artificial curves, where the history of the stone is joined by the cultural heritage of humankind. 

The sculptor pays homage to the mountain, mother of life, and to humanity’s greatest cultural achievement: writing. Among the hieroglyph-like signs — reminiscent of alpine edelweiss flowers (nature and culture perfectly reunited) — a specialist may recognise the concealed symbol of the Walser people and the representation of the sculptor at work. 

That sculpting is akin to writing — engraving a trace within the thickness of time — is also suggested by a rolled parchment, ready to be unrolled and filled by the pen of the “writer-sculptor.”

Cristina Noacco

Born in Châtillon (Aosta Valley), Bruno Gabrieli showed an early attraction to the world of art. He initially devoted himself to painting before encountering sculpture. 

His work is based on the choice of materials — primarily stone and wood — from which he extracts modern, dynamic forms. He lives and works in Gressoney-Saint-Jean, in close contact with nature, his main source of inspiration. 

At the end of the 1980s he began participating in sculpture competitions, often winning awards and recognitions. He exhibits successfully in Italy and France. In 2006, the French city of Nyon paid tribute to the “sculptor and poet” with a retrospective of his most significant works.