ALICE RONCHI
SOFT FEELINGS PART I
(ANATOMY CLASS)

30.11.2019 —
16.02.2020

Soft Feelings investigates the intimate dimension of the body as part of the totality of its feelings, sensations and desires.

Alice Ronchi examines the body through the lens of sexuality, approaching her research through the delicate, ductile, and soft medium of textiles. Over several weeks, the artist worked in residence at Lottozero experimenting with the techniques and expressive possibilities of textiles, searching within the tactile sensoriality of fibers and fabrics for a material equivalent to that softness, or tenderness, that belongs to the abstract sphere of emotion.

lexicon of anatomical parts

At Lottozero, Alice Ronchi presents the study for the first chapter of the project Anatomy Class, structured as a lexicon of anatomical parts, erogenous zones, irregularities and peculiarities of the body, interpreted through diverse textile methods. A series of embroideries tells of the problems that arise from the discovery of slight asymmetries, deformities or simple peculiarities of the body; using the ancient technique of weaving, the artist uses bundles of hand-dyed raw wool to form to the roundness of the breast; items of lingerie are crocheted with threads made from plastic bags; erogenous zones of the body are depicted in sewn, stuffed sculptures, while in drawings made on the sewing machine and in fabric collages, the artist uses a poetic language of organic and abstract shapes to express male and female genital organs.

the intimacy of the body

Like a visual poem, the work extends across a wall that has been painted pink, where intimacy and sexuality are treated with purity and delicacy, using a palette of predominately pastels and skin tones. The color overwhelms the space, creating an atmosphere in dialogue with the opposing wall of works by school children produced during a workshop with the artist. These works, a collage and a series of sublimation prints on fabric, are included in the exhibition as part of the first phase of a larger project on the human body which considers sexuality through the emotions and sensations that arise from the encounter between two bodies, from the intimate necessity of the body to be loved.