A new exhibition of monumental sculptures by award winning contemporary artist Helidon Xhixha opens at the Boboli Garden, Florence on June 27, 2017. In Ordine Sparso is curated by the Director of the Uffizi Galleries, Eike Schmidt and Diego Giolitti.

The powerful new summer exhibition sees Helidon Xhixha explore the ideas of chaos and order through his extraordinary series of thirteen monumental sculptures and installations. The works pay homage to how this concept has been portrayed in philosophy and the arts (sacred geometry) and how it is interpreted in the natural world.

IN ORDINE SPARSO
HELIDON XHIXHA

Through their shapes and reflective surfaces, the thirteen breathtaking sculptural installations by Helidon Xhixha offer new perspectives on the intertwining of art and nature, promoted by the Medici family in 16th and 17th centuries.

The exhibition features also several new works specially made by the artist on the occasion of this exhibition, along with other works created between 2010 and 2016, which are representative of the successful artistic career of Helidon Xhixha.
Among the new works made in 2017 we can admire sculptures such as, Ordine e Caos, Helium and Neon. Works which particularly stand out are Conoscenza and Infinio, situated either side of the entrance of Palazzo Pitti: Conoscenza reminds us of Fibonacci, nature's most recognizable answer to the Golden Ratio. On the other hand, Infinito reminds us of the fundamental concepts of order, balance and regularity.

In the Limonaia of the Boboli Gardens the artist has looked to nature to understand chaos. Inspired by the Crystal Caves in Naica, Mexico he has designed a complex response to their seemingly random formation. He has created in the Limonaia his signature aesthetic response, great towering columns of mirror polished stainless steel entice the visitor to enter and explore the artist’s vision.

Xhixha, whose installation at the inaugural 2016 London Design Biennale won the prestigious public award, was invited by Eike Schmidt, to present this very personal exhibition, set within the stunning surroundings of the famed Boboli Garden. In Ordine Sparso is one of a series of prominent contemporary art exhibitions organized by Eike Schmidt since his appointment at the worldwide famous Uffizi Galleries.

Commenting on Xhixha’s work, Eike Schmidt said, 'These highly interactive and communicative objects multiply, rearrange and distort the beholder’s likeness, and in many instances, they turn it upside down. Rarely have sculptures been able to
draw and keep the attention of teenagers and adults alike, who often explore these works for long periods of time, mostly resorting to their smartphones for help in capturing their own likeness together with some of the mirror images on the steel. At the same time, they act as magnets for children who often touch the unusual surface while moving along it and observing the changes of their mirror images, or make faces or jump in front of it."

During his career Xhixha has developed a unique and now iconic style of sculpture and is known for his extraordinary ability to manipulate mirror polished stainless steel into amazing abstract objects of immense grandeur and beauty. Xhixha creates a visual commentary on the interplay between metal and light, between the physical and the intangible. Recent successes at the 2015 Venice Biennale and the 2016 London Design Biennale have secured his position within the international art world and his work is now some of the most instantly recognizable and highly sought after sculpture today.

Helidon Xhixha comments, "To be asked by the Uffizi Galleries to create my vision in this incomparable setting is a great honor. These are some of the most breathtaking, historically important and atmospheric surroundings that I have ever
worked within and I thank Eike Schmidt, Diego Giolitti and the Uffizi Galleries for their support in organizing this exhibition.”

Thanks to the City of Florence, the artist has been invited to showcase a brand new monumental sculpture in Piazza San Firenze, Florence. The work titled La “O” di Giotto represents the idea of perfection as per the Renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone.

2017 has also been a very exciting year for the Uffizi: the Leonardo da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi finally has returned to the Uffizi Galleries after a careful six year restoration. This year the museum will also exhibit works by Bill Viola and a
series of exhibitions dedicated to women artists.

Albanian by origin, now living and working between Milan and Dubai, Xhixha was born into a family of artists, with his passion for sculpting coming from his father at a young age. He has achieved continued success for his iconic stainless steel structures, which now feature in public and private collections globally.

Xhixha is perhaps most widely known for his Iceberg sculpture, tackling the subject of climate change, which became the first installation to be given permission to travel along the world famous Grand Canal at the 2015 Venice Biennale and was featured in The New York Times, The Guardian and CNN.

In 2016 Xhixha was selected to take over the central courtyard of Somerset House during the inaugural London Design Biennale. His award winning installation Bliss focused on the issues of migration and displacement currently faced by the world and was presented with the important Public Award.