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Biography
13th September 1988. Riccardo Stellini was born in Florence.
Curious, rebel, perfectionist: since his early childhood he is fascinated by the complexity of the matter. He took apart objects and silently observed its components. But nothing is more attractive than the deep space and celestial bodies: this interest seemed to hold the seeds of future inner and outside searches.
Riccardo grew in a lively and dynamic cultural environment and he became always more sensitive and wishful of new experiences. By chance he got in touch with the thinking of Paul Morand and he understood what is the first step to take: “To travel is to be unfaithful. Be it without remorse”.
After the diploma, he left the study. He was still so young, but already so seduced by Wanderlust that he began to travel a lot around the world.
He lived and worked in New York, London, Cyprus, Canarian Islands. He often met painters, musicians and eclectic street actors: he is impressed by the art expressed with a such charming spontaneity.
The motivation to an inward search led him to learn about Osho and he is very astounded by this figure. The Indian mystic made him to unearth another side of himself: it’s apparently a removed aspect, but he concretely becomes aware of the need of a more inner and authentic contact with consciousness. He begins an enduring passion towards psychology. Reading Erich Fromm and Mikhael Aivanhov was crucial for him. In this period, his aptitude to aesthetical experience got stronger. What becomes visible only through art is a nourishment for Riccardo.
He admires the poetic metaphysics by Giorgio de Chirico, the timeless imagination by Mark Rothko, the heartfelt aestheticism by Richard Long. At the same time he steadily goes on to search for a personal expression, free of external conditioning.
He is extremely passionate about Essential and he is going to realize its firm connection with Beauty. Essential is never regression nor depletion: it is freedom, and above all it is joyful surfacing of an intimate Beauty. A primordial but marvellously complex Beauty.
This feeling reveals itself since his first experiments to canalize his creative instinct: he uses different materials, first of all wood, metals and fabrics; then glass, polystyrene and Perspex.
When Riccardo builds, assembles, decomposes and paints, he seems to meditate, just when he was a child. With time, a fine irreverence takes over his works, but nevertheless they always preserve a strong respect for Nature and her intrinsic harmony.
Deeply empathetic, with a great power of imagination and thirst for knowledge, he always looks for inspiration and sharing.
Egocentric and ambitious, he devoted himself to an idea or a project only if they sound like crazy.
di: CRISTINA D'ANDREA
