Until 8 January, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco hosts the sculpture Energy of life created by master Andrea Roggi with the collaborative touch of the great master goldsmith Martin Katz of Los Angeles.
Exploring one's roots, dissecting the material elements, bronze and marble, of the creative process is the starting point of this exhibition. Special for the inclusion in a large work by Master Roggi, the man and the tree, symbols par excellence of life, of a golden sphere by Master Martin Katz composed of over two thousand rare stones, which holds within itself the philosophy of the art of the two great masters in a symbolic embrace, as a strong message of peace and brotherhood addressed to all the peoples of the world, representing the birth of life.
The event, curated by Rina Dal Canton, is promoted by the AIL Venezia-Associazione Italiana contro Leucemie, linfomi e mieloma, president Giovanni Alliata di Montereale, in collaboration with the Associazione Paolo Rizzi ETS, president Piergiorgio Baroldi, SKAL Venezia, president Domenico Stanziani and the Vittorio Cini Archive Foundation.

The work is presented in the presence of the artists, Franco Posocco, Guardian Grando of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Bruno Bernardi, President of the Fondazione Bevilacqua la Masa, and Stefano Cecchetto, art historian. Introduction by Chiara Tagliaferro.
This will be followed by a piano concert by international pianist Letizia Michielon, who will perform music by Frédéric Chopin.

The exhibition of Andrea Roggi and Martin Katz's work is open daily from 22 December to 8 January from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays.

From 3 to 6 November 2023, the work Energy of Life was exhibited in the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. The exhibition features a bronze sculpture created by Andrea Roggi and a jewelled sphere designed by Martin Katz to represent life energy in an original work never before exhibited in Europe.
The exhibition represents the meeting of two masters: a Tuscan sculptor and a Hollywood jeweller who share the same philosophy and desire to work together to create a work - the Energy of Life - that echoes a powerful social message. A new art form linked to humanity, a shared mission encapsulated in an installation that will be presented for the first time in Florence during the Festival dell'Italia Gentile, the Italian expression of the International Kindness Movement born from the bestselling book The Biology of Kindness by sociologist and biologist Daniel Lumera and geneticist Immacolata de Vivo.
The exhibition is realised with the support of the City of Florence and the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Culture Alessia Bettini.

The sphere - skilfully created in relief to represent Mother Earth - is the embodiment of the source of energy in the Tree of Life sculpture. Made of 18-carat white gold, it was handcrafted in Martin Katz's Atelier and features more than 2,000 gemstones with over 8,000 prong settings containing shades of blue sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines, Tsavorite garnets and white diamonds.

ENERGY OF LIFE

At the heart of the majestic Tree of Life, a small sphere - the Energy of Life - is revealed, capturing the attention of every passer-by. This work of art, the result of a collaboration between the renowned sculptor Andrea Roggi and the internationally renowned jewellery designer Martin Katz, is an extraordinary testimony to their exceptional mastery in capturing the very essence of life through the sensory expression of bronze, combined with the preciousness of the goldsmith's art.
The meeting of these two artists provoked an urgent need to unite their creative minds, coming from profoundly different and geographically distant artistic backgrounds, in order to create a work of extraordinary beauty that echoes a powerful social message.
The sphere cradles within itself an unstoppable life force, creating a profound bond between all life forms. Its surface, meticulously crafted in every detail, releases light, generating a visual spectacle of shadows and reflections. Life Energy challenges our traditional concept of reality, prompting us to explore the perception and awareness of a new world, a world connected by empathy and care for others. It reminds us that not everything that is precious is visible to our eyes, which is why we must rediscover the sensitivity to recognise its presence in our daily lives.
The natural element of the tree blends harmoniously with the abstract form of the sphere: a symphony of senses where each being experiences an emotional flow of unity.