Oscar Dominguez was born in Tucuman, Argentina, in 1970. After completing his studies, he moved to Faenza (RA) in 1999, where he lives and works. His sculptures are filled with the light and warmth of the earth, crafted from simple materials, yet capable of releasing strength and energy, passion and drive. Each work tells a story, a search for the history of a myth to tell the story of man, nature, and life in an absolutely timeless space.
His most important exhibitions and participations include: Cairo International Biennial, Egypt (1st Prize), 2000; Cairo International Biennial, Egypt (Guest), 2002; Rojo Tierra, a solo exhibition at the Circolo degli Artisti, Faenza, 2003; Memoria del fuego, curated by J. Ruiz de Infante, Bagnacavallo, 2004; Donde pasa el rio, a solo exhibition at the Palazzuolo sul Senio, 2005. Several solo exhibitions have taken place in Tuscany, curated by the Galleria Gagliardi, 2006; Bocas del tiempo, curated by Claudia Casali, Brisighella, 2007; Demora, curated by Josune Ruiz de Infante, Castrocaro, Forlì, 2009; Il silenzio del grano, ex Circolo degli artisti, Faenza, 2010; Pedes in terra ad sidera visus, curated by Claudia Casali, Banca di Romagna, Faenza, 2011; and Los nacimientos, Amerongen Castle, Holland, 2011. In 2014 he was a guest at the Biennale del Disegno, curated by Massimo Pulini, with an installation at the Museo della Città, Rimini. In 2016 he participated in the major exhibition CERAMIX, from Rodin to Schütte, in Paris and the Netherlands. Since 2012, he has been creating land art installations and installations related to major architectural projects in Italy and abroad. Since 2003, he has curated SPAZIO allo SPAZIO at the Fiera CONTEMPORANEA in Forlì/Cesena, where he has hosted over 100 Italian and foreign artists over the course of 15 years.
The artist himself embodies the type of person who is constantly searching for a profound meaning of life in relation to the environment around him. Thus, in his installation "UN LAGO EN EL CIELO," the Argentinian artist Oscar Dominguez seeks to establish a dialogue with the territory, connecting the raw, wild, and original aspect of the village of Campo with the calm, sinuous, and gentle waves of Lake Garda.
To represent the trait d'union, an olive leaf that transforms into a boat that floats and glides among the ancient trees. The audience is invited to view the work from different angles, gaining new perspectives and projecting the object into different landscapes—both mountains and lakes. The work floats, raised from the ground, to illustrate the dream, the dreamlike journey of a thought that hovers above us, changing according to human will. Martin Heidegger said, "Man is thrown into the world, and in this suspended state he seeks the meaning of his being." This philosophy is transformed into a work for the artist, who wishes to materialize a thought by giving it the simplest form that expresses the nature of the place.
Statement from the Artistic Director:
"This second encounter with Land Art in Campo di Brenzone sul Garda confirms the desire to continue this project, which is linked to contemporary art and pays attention to the territory, the use of natural materials, and its landscape ethics. The artist Oscar Dominquez was immediately inspired and involved by the place, creating a symbol and a sign that can simultaneously represent plant nature and human creativity. Dominguez's leaves/boats are therefore the synthesis of this sharing and emergence into a single, large system in which humans are inserted and in which they live."
Matteo Chincarini
