fausto balbo

sound sculptures












Biography


Fausto Balbo, born in 1970, lives and works in Garessio (CN) Italy.
He has always been passionately interested in sound and the construction of musical instruments, and over the years the latter have become the sonic art sculptures that he currently makes. After a period of experimentation and study, he began to develop an audio-visual form of expression in which the soloist, the performer, is no longer present, and is replaced by autonomous sculptures. A human presence is necessary to launch the process: from that moment on, the score, execution and performance will be determined by “imperceptible and unfathomable” factors. He personally curates every step in the construction of his pieces; aesthetically, he takes inspiration from the components that will become part of the work itself, and from the physical and mechanical requirements of the action that it is designed to perform. Sometimes his works begin with sketches that allow him to assess the final proportions, on other occasions he makes them directly, shaping the components that he has available. He likes using found materials as a way of documenting the things that we are abandoning; he re-uses different types of object, privileging retro-technology, changing their use (rebirth, survival, metamorphosis), often highlighting what remains concealed by the exterior of the items that are around us in everyday life, dedicating particular attention to the energy, electromagnetic waves and sounds that they emit. The part of the process described up until now represents the initial act of creation; this is followed by his desire to “reveal what is imperceptible and unfathomable to the naked eye”, an area of sensory perception in which sound and electromagnetism are observed by means of the movement of components that interact with these forces, audible sounds generated by an action triggered by a sound that we cannot hear, a cause-effect relationship in which kinetics and cymatics mutually interact. Balbo likes the idea of miniaturizing events linked to existence, the life of the cosmos and an imperfect equilibrium in which everything occurs through probability, and not through certainty. In his works, he invites spectators to reflect on the actions of the invisible puppeteer, on what cannot be seen by the unassisted eye, on synaesthetic perception, on playful actions with a child’s curiosity, on letting one’s thoughts wander within the world of sound. He wants to encourage a desire to see the work in action, to discover the result of its operation. He considers sculpture solely as a means of revealing that which would otherwise be imperceptible.

Solo exhibitions

- SoundAction, curated by Monica Bonollo, Valmore Studio d'Arte, Vicenza - Italy, 24 March / 30 June 2023

- SonoroSilenzio, curated by Agostino Berta, Circolo Culturale Eleutheros, Albissola Marina (SV) - Italy, August 2016

Group exhibitions (selection)

- Art & Sound, sguardi diversi 2, curated by Ale Guzzetti, Sala Nevera, Saronno (VA), Italy - 03 February / 03 March 2024

- Corrispondenze, dialogue between Eros Bonamini, Maurizio Marcato and Fausto Balbo, curated by Monica Bonollo, Valmore Studio d’Arte, Vicenza, Italy - 04 / 25 November 2022

- Itinerario n°2 - l'arte riflette su se stessa, curated by Monica Bonollo, Valmore Studio d’Arte, Vicenza, Italy - 29 April / 25 November 2022

- ArtVerona 2021, with Valmore Studio d'Arte, Verona, Italy - 15 / 17 October 2021

- ArtVerona Digital World Environment Day, with Valmore Studio d’Arte, 04 / 05 June 2021

- ArtVerona Digital International Museum Day, with Valmore Studio d’Arte, 18 May 2021

- ArtVerona Digital Yellow, with Valmore Studio d’Arte, 4 / 14 December 2020

- Arte e Luce, curated by Monica Bonollo, Valmore Studio d’Arte, Vicenza, Italy 19 June / 2 October 2020

- Arte e Suono, curated by Monica Bonollo, Simona Zava, Rocca Roveresca, Senigallia (AN) Italy - 9 November 2019 / 2 February 2020

- ArtVerona 2019, with Valmore Studio d'Arte, Verona, Italy - 11 / 13 October 2019

- Futurismo@Postfuturismo, curated by Boris Brollo, Bruno Grizzaffi, Isabella Reale, Galleria Comunale di Arte Contemporanea i Molini, Portogruaro (VE), Italy - 27 April / 30 June 2019

- Cinematismi, curated by Piero Pala, Contemporary Cluster, Rome, Italy - 17 / 18 / 20 / 24 / 25 / 27 January 2019

- ArtVerona 2018, with Valmore Studio d'Arte, Verona, Italy - 02 / 05 October 2018

- FB42 Concerto per musicista pigro, with Valmore Studio d'Arte and Studio d'Arte Raffaelli, Tagliata Superiore di Civezzano (TN), Italy - 10 August 2018

- Arte Forte 2018, curated by Camilla Nacci, Mariella Rossi, Riva del Garda (TN), Italy - 29 June / 23 September 2018

- ArtVerona 2017, with Valmore Studio d'Arte, Verona, Italy - 13 / 16 October 2017

- AccaAtelier 2017, Atelier Giorgi, Turin, Italy - 22 September / 21 October 2017

- Arte interattiva, curated by Monica Bonollo, MACA Acri (CS), Italy - 01 July / 29 October 2017

- 1957 Macchine, curated by Giuliano Arnaldi, Castello della Lengueglia Costa del Carretto, Garlenda (SV), Italy - 7 / 16 July 2017

- About noise, curated by Boris Brollo, Galleria Comunale di Arte Contemporanea i Molini, Portogruaro (VE), Italy - 02 / 18 June 2017

- Ciclo experimental italiano, curated by Piero Pala, Crater Lab, Barcelona, Spain - 29 October 2015

- Enigmatico stilnovo, curated by Piero Pala, Jolly Roger 2, Rome, Italy - 18 October 2015

- Geometrie per segnali luminosi, curated by Piero Pala, Future Perfect Blueroom, Rialto, Rome, Italy - 30 / 31 January 2015

Works, selection


FB69 Immaginare il vento #1 - 2022


FB67 Segnali da un futuro passato - 2022


FB65 Accadimenti (digitale-elettromagnetico-acustico) - 2021


FB60 Fantasia #1 Multiverso olografico - 2020/2021


FB62 Suoni da un futuro passato - 2020


FB52 Sonata Zazen - 2019


FB48 Risonanze, variazioni sulla Risonanza di Schumann - 2018


FB46 Inverno - 2018


FB42 Concerto per musicista pigro - 2017


FB38 Interazione #1 t.38" - 2017


FB29 Overload - 2016


FB23 20Hz - 20,05Hz Presenze - 2016


FB15 Lacrime di infrasuono - 2015


Contacts


Garessio (CN) Italy - mail: faustobalboart@gmail.com



Valmore Studio d'Arte

Contra' Porta S. Croce 14, 36100 Vicenza – Italy

+ 39 0444 881638 - info@valmore.it




Translated by: Henry Neuteboom