Find out more about this venture, whose producers included the BAM! association Bologna Art Managers.
The docufilm is entitled “Il Sottobosco. Giovanni Poggi: la vita, la ceramica” and explores the life and career of Albissola-based potter Giovanni Poggi, a ninety-year-old craftsman who has made his relationship with the earth his reason for being. The project, based on an idea by Luca Bochicchio, directed by Enrico Bonino, is produced by the Associazione Bologna Art Managers and DLQ Creative Factory.
The result of an exciting journey that lasted almost two years and involved various people and organisations linked to the Albisola ceramic art scene, Il Sottobosco is a project that, thanks to the incredible story of Giovanni Poggi, aims to turn the spotlight on the ceramic history of the Albisole, two Ligurian villages in the province of Savona famous around the world for this art.
The proud protagonist of this tradition is Giovanni Poggi, a potter since the age of fourteen and founder, together with Mario Pastorino and Eliseo Salino, of the famous Ceramiche San Giorgio in Albissola Marina. In operation since 1958 and still an essential destination for pottery enthusiasts, the Ceramiche di San Giorgio is the symbol of the relationship between Albisola and ceramics, and Giovanni is its heart and soul.
The “factory”, as it is known in Albissola, is the starting point for the narration of the docufilm Il Sottobosco. Above all, this project aims to pay tribute to the career of Giovanni Poggi, but also to the artistic history of the Albisole and their role in the Italian art scene. More than 300 of the best-known contemporary artists have passed through the Ceramiche San Giorgio alone. They include Lucio Fontana, Asger Jorn, Wilfredo Lam and Agenore Fabbri, the four artists Giovanni talks about during the documentary, delving not only into their professional importance, but also detailing the human relationship he managed to establish with each of them. It is precisely in the ongoing connection between the professional and private dimensions that the value of this production is played out. The Associazione Bologna Art Managers wanted to be part of this and it was also made possible thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione De Mari of Savona, the Comune di Albissola Marina and the Galerie Moderne in Silkeborg, Asger Jorn’s hometown. Furthermore, the project benefits from the patronage of the Comune di Albisola Superiore, as well as the publishing support of the Associazione Amici di Casa Jorn and the Poggi family, which followed all the filming step by step.
The docufilm will be screened for the first time in late November at the Nuovofilmstudio in Savona, then in 2023 the project will tour Liguria and Italy thanks to the collaboration with the AICC – Associazione Italiana Città della Ceramica.
For more information on Il Sottobosco visit the website and the Instagram profile!
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CREDITS
“Il sottobosco. Giovanni Poggi: la vita, la ceramica.”
From an idea by Luca Bochicchio
Director Enrico Bonino
General Coordination Silvia Basso
Authors Silvia Basso, Luca Bochicchio, Enrico Bonino, Stella Cattaneo, Michele Delucis, Silvio Ottonello, Daniele Panucci
Production DLQ Creative Factory
With the invaluable help and support of the Poggi family
Produced by Bologna Art Managers
With the contribution of Fondazione de Mari
With the support of the Comune di Albissola Marina
With the patronage of the Comune di Albisola Superiore
