On Wednesday, April 15th and Thursday, April 16th, a delegation from the European Biennial of Blacksmith Art in Stia will be in Oslo to take part in the activities of Iron Notes, a European project launched in 2025 to promote iron and metalworking in contemporary art.

The Biennial’s presence in Norway represents an important opportunity to promote the artisanal heritage of Casentino, where ironworking is an integral part of the region’s history and identity, and at the same time to engage with the European art scene. The Biennial thus confirms its role as an ambassador for a tradition that, originating in Stia and Tuscany, continues to build international connections and tell, through iron and metals, stories of culture, memory, identity, and experimentation.

Representing the Stia Biennial will be Dario Simonetti and Adele Amato of the Autonomous Association for the Biennial of Blacksmith Art, along with blacksmith-artist Niko Giordani, a master of the STIA School Training Iron & Arts. Born into a family of blacksmiths and sculptors, Giordani grew up in the family workshop, where he learned ancient forging techniques from a young age. Today, he pursues a path of study, research, and experimentation, focusing in particular on the layering of metals, developing a contemporary artistic vision that combines excellent craftsmanship and formal research.

In Oslo, he will present three jewels that express in an original way the dialogue between artisanal knowledge and contemporary language.
“My artistic research,” explains Giordani, “is not born of convenience, but of conflict and symbiosis with matter. I choose materials like titanium, zirconium, and Damascus steel because they are not easily tamed; they require respect, extreme temperatures, and a deep understanding of their chemical and physical reactions. The Mokume Gane technique and layered forging allow me to paint with fire, creating veins that make the movement within the metal eternally visible, like the grain of a tree that changes as it grows.”

The works on display will include a piece of Damascus steel, gold, and black diamond, which combines material strength with goldsmith precision; a rigid bracelet in Mokume Gane, created by layering copper and silver and evoking the natural grain of wood; and a pendant inspired by the shape of a ray, in which anodized titanium, titanium, and Damascus zirconium create a balance between organic inspiration and engineering precision.

The Iron Notes activities will take place at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHIO), which will host seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and performances dedicated to the dialogue between memory, material, and contemporary experimentation. The two-day event will focus on the seminar “Forged Narratives – Art, Memory, and Material in Contemporary Blacksmithing”, which focuses on the evolution of blacksmithing practice in Europe and Scandinavia.

Participation in Oslo confirms the role of the Stia Biennale as an international reference point for the promotion of the art of blacksmithing and the valorization of quality craftsmanship that, rooted in tradition, continues to renew itself and dialogue with the present.