Behind "The Warriors" by Antonio Signorini

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The “Warriors” by the Italian artist Antonio Signorini are a tangible link to our past.

Signorini started an in-depth study of primitive art in 2003. He focused on the Libyan, Saudi and Iraqi caves and findings within them. The discovery of new caves in Europe led him to develop his research and to work towards recreating the rupestrian drawings the he observed into sculptural forms - a modern day creation to connect people to their past.

The Mesopotamian findings further inspired him to create one of his most compelling creations “The Warrior”.

The first warrior was inspired from drawings in the caves of Saharan Libya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and regions within Algeria; the other warriors developed one after the other like a memory of his own past, like an ancient tale that was turning into life through his art connecting all humanity together.

 

They are strong, modern and linear. Their clean lines create equilibrium and movement and they are all created in dynamic poses - running, hunting and posturing. Cut segments in the area of the eyes and the back create an angular feeling and missing sections at the hips create abstraction and  a beautiful balance between two halves.

 

The spears and bow and arrows for the warriors have been created using advanced experimental archaeology methods that derive from the same processes used at the period. The artist sourced stone and antique wood from the region and made the objects using our understanding of  processes from the past.

 

This collection has been created as a journey of the artist and as a metaphor for human life as a journey in itself. This series of sculptures has been displayed in some of the most emblematic locations: the Fondaco di Marcello in Venice, The Samir Kassir Garden in Beirut, the Manarat Al Sadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, and now they became part of the permanent DIFC art collection of Dubai.

April 8, 2021