La Ricerca

Grand Prize, FIFA 2024

For six decades, the Italian artist Luigi Lineri has meticulously assembled ​“La Ricerca”, an extensive collection of stones found along the Adige river and in the Lessinia mountains in Italy. These pebbles, bearing human and animal shapes reminiscent of enigmatic prehistoric sculptures, serve as a lens into the depths of human nature. Echoing mythological imagery, his art pays homage to the struggles of early humans, shaping the narrative of our species’ evolution. Providing an unparalleled perspective on the human journey and a hopeful manifesto for our future, this intriguing essay is sublimated by some magnificent photography as well as a soundtrack by the Chilean-American composer Nicolas Jaar.

Word of direction

I met Luigi Lineri and his work at the beginning of 2015. A meeting that sparked unprecedented wonder and a long series of questions. A spark from which this film’s development began. Luigi’s monumental work is a formidable tool for investigating universal themes. In his installation, he managed to materialize a vast field of anthropological, philosophical, and even political themes. Many of these contents are extremely current and urgent, such as our conflictual relationship with the ecosystem. These are the foundations upon which the formal elements of the film rest. Recontextualized archival materials and experimental audiovisual sequences work in an allusive and evocative way, adding layers of emotional and conceptual exploration to the film’s arguments. It’s a continuous and open dialogue with Luigi and with the audience.

The search aims towards the ideal perspective of collective empowerment: reworking lost memories to build a better future. The aspect of conservation (of our species, but not only) is also relevant in relation to the survival of the incredible artistic installation created by Luigi Lineri. Given its peculiarities, there’s a risk that it might disappear along with its creator, now 85 years old. This film is a testimony to Luigi’s life mission: an artistic vocation intended as a way to serve the universal human community. These deep motivations supported the long development process of this project, which lasted over 7 years. During this time, many professionals have embraced this undertaking, in many cases as a passion project, like in the case of world-renowned musician Nicolás Jaar, composer of the film’s original soundtrack.

- Giuseppe Petruzzellis