Andrea Borga

Andrea Borga (Trento, 1985) lives and works in Coredo, a small tourist locality in the Dolomites of northern Italy.
He approached metals at a very young age, when just 17 years old he entered as an apprentice in the workshop of a blacksmith in his hometown. There he starteds to learn the basics of this ancient craft. Skills that he honed over the years by independently experimenting with various metalworking techniques and that he put into practice by confronting different local craftmen. The experience and knowledge he has learned are embodied in artifacts of high craftsmanship that lead him to work both in Italy and abroad.
For some time now he has been pursuing his own personal research towards metal, which he applies particularly to sculpture.
In 2023 he collaborated in the group exhibition "Echoes. The mountain between photography and painting" set up in the rooms of the Palazzo della Regione in Trento. In the summer of the same year he opened his first solo exhibition in Coredo di Predaia. His works are present at Paratissima (Turin) and BAF - Bergamo Arte Fiera. One of his works is part of the prestigious private collection of Palazzo Colonna in Rome. In 2024 the Trentino Alto-Adige Region dedicated a solo exhibition to him...

Artist Statement

Metalworking has accompanied man since the dawn of time. A tradition that was born and developed from ancestral knowledge that has been handed down, for centuries, from generation to generation. The craftsman is the one who creates by forging, shaping, and beating matter, a metal professional who puts his technical skill at the service of the community. The debate around the role of the "faber" and the artist within society has arisen cyclically over the centuries. A blurred boundary divides them, mainly due to intent: on one side is pure technique, on the other is the originality and creativity of the artist.

I like to define myself as the fusion of these two figures. A blacksmith by training, my passion for metal has led me to continue investigating this material. Despite having experienced and experimented with it in multiple ways over the years, it continues to amaze me.

This implies that when I approach metal I begin a real dialogue with it, in which the material itself is an active part and therefore responsible for the result. So the dialogue, the process of making the work, is as important to me as the final product. Because like any conversation, although we may have knowledge of the subject matter an...