The Florentine artist Michelangelo Bastiani uses technology in his representations of water to illustrate its dy- namic nature and facilitate a direct connection and tangible interaction with the viewer. Based on Bohm’s holographic theory that “our universe is a giant, beautifully detailed hologram”, Bastiani’s works reproduce a microcosm in a bottle, where videos, two-dimensional by nature, become solid and dynamic realities. The relationship between the work and the observer is strengthened, transforming what we imagine as the tradi- tional “passive” visit into an “active” one. Bastiani creates a third dimension where nature and artifice coexist, following an artistic search in which the only constants seem to be the transformation and evolution of his works over time.
Michelangelo Bastiani (1979) was born in Bibbiena, Arezzo 1979. He graduated from the Academy of Fine of Arts of Florence in 2004, specializing in painting and photography. His activity is mainly focused on video art. Bastiani’s artistic journey has taken him across the globe, as he lived in California and New York before return- ing to his roots in Tuscany. Over the years, he has garnered international acclaim through critically acclaimed exhibitions in various cities across Italy, including Florence, Venice, Rome, Milan, Capri, and Pietrasanta. His work has also been showcased internationally in cities such as Paris, London, Munich, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Kiev, and Oslo. In the United States, he has exhibited in prominent art hubs like New York, Miami, Palm Beach, the Hamptons, Boca Raton, Houston, Austin, and Dallas. Notable venues include the Saatchi Gallery in London and the Mana Contemporary Museum in Jersey City.