We are all matter. And matter, by its very nature, does not disappear; it transforms and reshapes itself, taking on new forms that are sometimes barely perceptible. This is something we sense as we walk along a cobbled street in Rome. The stones beneath our feet harbour more than just the present; they carry centuries of human history, dust and desire, wars and art. Each stone has a hidden story, yet we tread on them casually, almost without thinking. Perhaps it is because deep down, we know that they were there before us, and they will remain long after we are gone.
Atelier Volten
Palazzo Talìa
Chidy Wayne's StudioIn English, “matter” can refer to both physical substance as well as to what is truly significant. At the heart of this dual meaning lies something essential: matter not only shapes us as individuals, but also as a community. For centuries we have tried to transcend matter by searching for the invisible through religion, through astrology and thought. Yet it is within matter itself that our truest expression resides: in art, which brings us face to face with emotions such as love, fear, longing and pain. All that we cannot hold in our hands captures us from within.
Casa Redduo
Villa CaffettoThe echo of the past feels louder today: Think of the Greece as seen by Carla Cascales; Luca Guadagnino’s intimate take on Rome; the whispering marbles of Villa Medici; and the cornices of Villa Caffetto. These are the signs of a time when it is no longer the “new” that seduces us, but the certainty of what is well made. A quiet, steady return to the essential, to techniques that never needed to be labelled as sustainable because they stemmed from the hands of craftspeople, and have endured.
In this issue, we pay tribute to that eternal matter. Chidy Wayne welcomes us to his new workspace in Barcelona, where he has devoted himself to developing an artistic language, one that has brought him worldwide recognition, including at Frieze London (taking place as I write these words). Carla Cascales Alimbau takes us back to the beginning, to Hydra, with pieces that are rooted in dialogue. Yoyo Balagué shows us how she creates a corporeal, almost performative art at her atelier on the Costa Brava. And Oliver Gustav opens the doors to his intimate universe, sharing the matter that makes him come alive and with which he shapes his very own world.
Carla Cascales
Casa Tejocote
Yoyo BalaguéUltimately, that is what we are: matter that feels, remembers, changes and creates. This issue is an invitation to explore that shared matter – our common ground, and our way forward.
