Marco Sorgato

Cruce Residency Program | June 2025

About the work 

Gli Oscuri is an artistic project exploring the intertwined themes of darkness, light, shadow, life, and death. Developed through extensive walks and research in the Castle District, the project draws on natural remains and found objects collected from the ruins and surrounding landscape.

Through these sculptural assemblages, the delicate balance between vitality and decay is explored, using the physical traces of the area to construct a narrative shaped by contrast and transformation. Darkness emerges not as a negative force, but as a binding presence, an element that connects the cycles of life and death and reveals the hidden continuity between them.

BIO 

Born in Padua in 1992, his creative journey has taken shape across music, visual art, and tattooing, defying conventional molds. In 2013, he immersed himself in the Padua underground music scene, playing bass guitar with bands like Pietro Berselli and Vox Delitto. At the same time, he founded the label Dischi Sotterranei, becoming a promoter of concerts and festivals in the area. Over the years, these activities led him to become a co-founder of Big Maff, a company dedicated to the management, redevelopment, and promotion of public spaces in the Veneto region and beyond through cultural events.

In 2016, driven by curiosity, he ventured into tattooing, starting with hand-poke techniques before moving on to machines. Expanding beyond Padua, he has worked as a guest tattoo artist in cities such as Milan, Berlin, London, Hamburg, Lisbon, Paris, Brussels, Naples, Turin, Rome, Florence, and Palermo, and has collaborated internationally in Los Angeles, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, and Istanbul. Over the years, he has developed a unique and recognizable style that sets him apart globally. In 2022, he opened his own tattoo studio and atelier, Blu Estate Studio, in Padua.

Simultaneously, his artistic endeavors have evolved. In 2020, he released his first musical tracks, “Detachment_00” and “Detachment_01”, marking his debut as a solo artist in the electronic music world. That same year, he turned his attention to contemporary art, exploring the relationship between Man and Nature. His first solo exhibition, “DISINTEGRATION-IO”, was held in Milan at Scalo Lambrate in May 2021, curated by Nicolas Ballario. This was followed by “Appesi ad un filo” at Palazzo Tondello (Due Carrare, Padua) in September of the same year, and his third exhibition, “Il nero si prende tutto”, in Florence in November 2022.

In 2023, he exhibited abroad for the first time in Lisbon with the show “Nero su nero”, where he introduced plastic as a predominant material in his works. That same year, he participated in the exhibition “Corrispondenze” in Patti (Messina), where a room was entirely dedicated to his works. Between 2023 and 2024, travels in Asia Minor and Africa have further influenced his artistic approach, leading to new reflections in his future projects.

During a journey in Asia Minor, he was struck by the immersive experience of the Bukit Lawang rainforest in Indonesia, where he connected with the wild nature and a local community deeply tied to the land. This experience drove him to take concrete action: he purchased land and, together with a local family, built a guest house. Here, guests not only experience the jungle through trekking and wildlife observation – including species threatened by the palm oil industry – but also contribute to environmental preservation and the economic support of the community. This project combines exploration, environmental protection, and humanitarian solidarity, offering an authentic experience of connection between man and nature, along with a positive social impact.