Herbarium Mirabile

Historically, an herbarium is a collection of dried herbs that describes their medicinal virtues. To the less experienced eye, herbaria are also an exciting showcase of species that differ in their unique forms. Each variety arranged orderly on each page, attracts curiosity for the creative and often extravagant formal response that nature is capable of creating for the survival needs of the species.
The exhibition Herbarium Mirabile takes inspiration from these marvellous plant geometries to present itself to visitors as a lithic botanical garden composed of seventeen marble sculptures. All the artworks have been designed using advanced parametric 3D modelling software and crafted with high-precision computer numerical control (CNC) machines. Each sculpture is created through the synergistic collaboration of leading exhibiting companies in various sectors of the stone industry: machinery production, processing, and extraction.
The decision to forgo traditional manual finishing techniques and the exclusive use of machines demonstrates the experimental and avant-garde nature of the exhibition, which aims to explore this new expressive language.
Within a rectangular space enclosed by semi-transparent canvas walls, the artworks rise above flat slabs of Botticino marble resting on a bed of coarse gravel. The arrangement is irregular, but the sculptures are adequately spaced to allow visitors to explore each artwork.
Herbarium Mirabile, is an opportunity to intimately experience the beauty of coloured marbles from various parts of the world and to sensually perceive the folds, engravings, and unique surfaces shaped by tireless digital devices.