Valerio Berruti is emerging as one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary Italian art. His video animation Udaka — Fango in Zulu exemplifies his way of fusing traditional craft with contemporary media, turning drawing into time and breath.
The film is built from 350 drawings on paper, each made using earth gathered at the Nirox Foundation (Johannesburg, South Africa). This material choice is more than technique: it grounds the work in matter, landscape, and a shared planetary origin.
Its protagonist—a little girl, a recurring figure in Berruti’s universe (also seen in Over the Rainbow)—connects the piece to the broader project In Infinity I See You: large-scale land-art interventions conceived to be perceived from above, even via Google Earth. Scale becomes a way to shift perception and, with it, emotion.
What moves me most in Udaka is the tension between the innocence of childhood and the primal, earthy source of life—an encounter of fragility and element. Berruti’s practice bridges tactile materiality and narrative flow, inviting reflection that feels both intimate and collective.
By integrating local materials and contexts into his work, Berruti makes imagery that travels across borders yet remains rooted. The result is universally resonant—art that returns us to what we share.
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