David Dolcini, Le forme del tempo

Curated by Marco Sammicheli
29 March – 24 May 2025
Volumnia, Piacenza

Volumnia is pleased to announce Le forme del tempo, the site-specific project by designer David Dolcini, unfolding in two acts. The first, born as an installation, was placed on the church’s forecourt, home to the gallery, in December 2024. The second, an exhibition within the monumental spaces of Volumnia, is scheduled for March 2025.

Enrica De Micheli has chosen David Dolcini to curate the programme at the gallery in Piacenza. The designer, with the assistance of Marco Sammicheli, the project’s curator, presents the latest development in his research into forms and archetypes, a project he began several years ago and which he has named Timemade.
Crafted, shaped, sculpted by time; absorbed, adapted, immersed in the space inhabited by man – this is how Dolcini creates a series of objects with a strong sculptural presence and a subtle poetic pull, intended to evoke an emotional tension in the observer, to trigger a reaction of character, and to foster a sense of attachment.

Dolcini has curated a collection of sculptural concepts, grouped into families (grafts, overlays, shoots, reversals), and arranged them in a sequence that echoes the monumental scale of the gallery spaces, starting from the churchyard to present itself to the local community.
The designer’s craft is subject to the constraints of function: it accommodates requirements, follows rules, and guides behaviour. This last aspect, however, opens up the spectrum of professional duties to unpredictable assessments. These include the realm of emotion and irrational desires: this refers to the comforting influence that objects exert on people.

David Dolcini has explored this middle ground, finding not only an expressive workshop but also the foundation for building a relationship with the observer.
The reflection Dolcini embarked upon since 2019 involves the very work of the designer, delving into the roots not only of his personal origins in the province of Piacenza but also of the craft itself. Through public actions and, even before, in the calm of his atelier, Dolcini has conducted a series of experiments, complex formal exercises focused on woodworking and his sculptural gestures.