“One year ago I witnessed the wildfires of the Plaine des Maures in France, where 150,000 hectares of forests were reduced to ashes. For six days a tireless army of firefighters from all over France will try to tame this nightmare, dozens of Canadair will mark the passing of the minutes, painting their silhouettes in the sky as they load water relentlessly. In the meantime acres of wild forests are erased by flames.

On the sixth day, the roads will finally reopen and I will be able to go back home in Italy. While looking at the horizon of hills in ashes from the rearview mirror of my car, I thought back to my position as an artist, the stories I want to tell and the messages I wanted to share.

With this perspective I conceived Ars Ardet: a photographic project inspired by the seventeenth century’s floral compositions. Each one of this series’ works has been transformed into a contemporary symbol for the burnt trees. The artworks are named after the burnt forests’names, a tribute to all those trees, people, animals and beings involved during some of the biggest fires around the world.”

“The search for a link between past and present is the constant that marks my work, inviting the viewer to reflect upon this aspect of human nature, denouncing the absurdities of our actions and their danger.

Today the situation is far from being solved, wildfires are still many and are increasing all over the world, but we just have to put our trust in a better future, educating the new generations in the best possible way, in the hope that through mutual respect we can grow in a better environment. For all.”