Francesco Arena, Minuto, 2011, slate, 40x40x4 cm (weight 10 kg).

Artist Francesco Arena was born on June 19, 1978 in Torre Santa Susanna near Brindisi, Italy. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lecce. He lives and works in Cassano delle Murge, a town near Bari in southern Italy. Arena expresses himself through his sculptures and installations, which are sometimes brought to completion with the help of expert craftsmen, using various materials chosen specifically for each work.

The influences of American minimalist art and arte povera are reflected Arena's body of work, both in terms of their sculptural qualities and how these works engage the viewer. It is also evident that the Puglia landscape influences him, just as the objects featured in his installations draw meaning from the places where they belong.

Minuto: the artist engraves the word "minuto" (in English “minute”) on a small slate headstone, working for one minute from the moment the tip of the pantograph touches the surface of the plaque. A minute of silence is one of the most common and widespread forms of public commemoration, as is the marble plaque on which the artist engraves a permanent monument. Minuto is the result of a sculptural action that appears to distance itself from rhetoric and cynicism. 

The highest bidder will also receive an exclusive copy of the artist's catalog featuring the work Minuto - signed Francesco Arena.