"A dive into the Asti region" ("Un tuffo nell'astigiano") is curated by artist Floriana Porta, and it will be hosted at the ex Teatro Villa in Valfenera d'Asti from 23 May to 2 June 2009 (click here for directions).

The exhibition path chronicles men's origins and invites to reflect about our past, taking inspiration by the world of farm-houses (the Italian cascine), with its colors and traditions.

30 tempera drawings by Alessandro Porta illustrate this region. Subjects include the countryside, agricultural vehicles, tractors but also more design-related subjects such as futuristic vehicles such as trucks, planes, boats and others.

In addition to this, several panels will describe the fascinating world of fossiles: the geological eras, the Pliocene, the "Sabbie di Asti" geological formation, the most important findings in Piedmont.

A paper about the Pliocenic fossiles by Floriana Porta, titled "A dive into theprehistoric world of Piedmont" (“Un tuffo nel mare preistorico del Piemonte”) will be presented.

For more information visit the event official website (in Italian).

About Alessandro Porta

Alessandro Porta was born in Dusino San Michele (near Asti, Piedmont) on 13rd December 1944.

When he was very young he entered the Centro Stile Fiat, where he followed the design and development of many vehicles until their production.

Together with two partners he then founded the Turin-based Form Design Center company, which works in collaboration with the most famous Italian design studios.

In addition to hyper-realistic tempera paintings used for the visualization and development of his designs, he also creates more artistic paintings.

Contact details:

• Form Design Center
• Personal website: Il Design nel DNA
• email: florianaporta@libero.it

About Floriana Porta

Floriana Porta is a well-known watercolor painter, photographer and poet.

• website: http://florianaporta.blog.excite.it

(Image Courtesy: Alessandro Porta)