Isotta Page: Studio Update Fall/Winter 2024

Dear Friends,

I hope this note finds you well. It’s been a busy 2024 and as we wrap up the year I wanted to share an update from my studio. After almost four years in Valencia, I've moved back to Italy and set up a house and studio in the Sabine hills just north of Rome. I would be delighted to host friends and visitors for studio visits so please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Sculpture Studio Developments

Over summer, I returned to sculpting marble outdoors, moving between garden trees for shade and the olive grove for autumn light. Its very scenic where I live and I’m fortunate to have an inspiring view to motivate me to get out into the studio.

Almost two years into my marble carving obsession, my focus has shifted from purely representational work to exploring marble's inherent material qualities, particularly through the interplay of raw, carved and polished surfaces. While we all love to marvel at classical, Renaissance or even robotically-carved sculptures which transform marble into something else entirely – be it lifelike figures or architectural elements – these works transform and therefore mask the stone's geologic materiality. I'm drawn to this raw, geological quality in marble. I see each block that I work with as deep time in physical form – a tangible record of Earth's geological history. By highlighting the contrast between raw and carved surfaces, leaving tool marks and saw cuts visible, I create a dialogue between the stone's natural state and my interventions as an artist.

My approach to working with raw and polished surfaces stems naturally from my materials. I work with sustainably sourced offcuts from the Carrara quarries, transforming these rough blocks through careful carving, cutting, and sanding. By selectively carving certain areas and leaving others untouched, I’m emphasizing the contrast between marble's natural and worked states in each sculpture.

An unexpected gift of working with marble has been how its lessons extend beyond the studio. The medium demands decisiveness – each stroke of the chisel is irreversible, with no 'undo' button once stone is carved away. This necessity for confident, committed action and the permanence of these gestures feels particularly poignant in our digital age, where content is endlessly editable and ephemeral. The practice demands unwavering focus and an acceptance of finality. In this way, marble becomes doubly meaningful: both as ancient stone that embodies geological time, and as a medium that teaches decisiveness with every mark.

Recent Highlights

Public Sculpture 

September marked a significant milestone with my first public sculpture commission, created during a residency in Umbria. The project brought together seven artists to create permanent outdoor works along the Via di San Francesco, the historic pilgrimage path connecting Assisi to Rome. My sculpture, The medium is the message (Il mezzo è il messaggio), is installed behind a historic church in the town of Lugnola and takes the from of two carved spirals, emerging like fossilized marble eyes gazing out across the landscape. The work considers how perspective and time shape our view of place, engaging with both the site's ancient history and its present moment.

Exhibitions

My work was also featured in two exhibitions in Italy this November:

• the 26th Libera Accademia di Pittura exhibition in Nova Milanese, where my piece Tides of Time was awarded the Vittorio Viviani Collection Prize and will be on permanet display in the academy gallery
  

• the GiaArte Annual Exhibition in Fiano Romano where my piece Fossile Occulare received an honorable mention by the jury

Metalworking

I've recently expanded my practice by establishing a welding studio, where I create metal bases for my marble sculptures. The bases are crafted from steel I-beams reclaimed from a residential building renovation in Tuscany, each bearing the original markings of local steelworks. This connection to place feels particularly meaningful, as both the marble and steel carry traces of their Tuscan origins

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I currently have three pieces available from my studio (pictured above and below). If you're interested in bringing one home – perhaps even in time for the holidays – I'd be happy to share more details. Please reach out with any questions.

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Thank you for your continued engagement with my practice. I look forward to sharing more developments as they unfold in the new year,

Warm wishes and happy holidays!

Isotta