Cultural Arts at MINDFUL BODY FIESOLE are embraced as an essential counterpart to Traditional Chinese Medicine and holistic therapies, recognizing that true well-being emerges when body, mind, and spirit are nurtured together. The center offers a vibrant program of visual arts and exhibitions, live music performances, and various styles of dance where the atmosphere of creativity itself becomes a form of healing and self-discovery.
Our debut exhibition showcases the art of New York photographer Alex Ferrone, featuring images that capture the flowing rhythms of nature, evoking the energy of qi—the vital life force recognized in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Internationally recognized for her abstract aerial photographs, Alex Ferrone brings a unique perspective that bridges natural landscapes with inner experience. Her photographs reveal the subtle rhythms of the earth and the fleeting beauty of luminous patterns, echoing the principles of Qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine—the life force that animates and connects all things. These photographs invite viewers into a meditative experience, blending the serenity of stillness with the vitality of movement.
About the Artist
Alex Ferrone is a self-taught fine art aerial photographer based in the United States on the North Fork of Long Island in New York. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, earning recognition from the Budapest International Foto Awards, the Julia Margaret Cameron Award, the International Photography Awards, and The Pollux Awards. In 2024, Alex received two grants for her project Creative Conversation on Conservation ©, highlighting the beauty and fragility of regional waterways. Published in outlets including Wine Spectator, Architectural Digest, and Vanity Fair, Ferrone’s photographs are also held in private collections worldwide. She is the Owner and Director of Alex Ferrone Gallery in Cutchogue, New York, and an independent curator and juror for arts organizations.
Artist statement - Aerial Observations
“From the unique vantage of photographing from helicopters, I explore the shifting intersections of nature, abstraction, and perception. Influenced by Edward Burtynsky, Marilyn Bridges, and Wynn Bullock, my landscapes reveal patterns and forms invisible from the ground, reframing how we see familiar environments.
In my Aerial Observations series, abstraction emerges through light, weather, and perspective. Seasonal and atmospheric changes transform water and land into living canvases — where shadows, reflections, and line break up reality into unexpected compositions. Ecological and human traces — algal blooms, mosquito ditches, tidal shifts—mark the landscape with unease and unusual beauty, telling stories of fragility, resilience, and impact.
Working without digital alteration, I allow the environments themselves to generate abstraction. My photographs invite viewers to slow down and immerse themselves in the quiet power of natural forms. Seen from above, these images foster awareness and appreciation for the delicate ecological systems that sustain us, reminding us of their vulnerability and strength.” Alex Ferrone 2025
Artwork installation: Aerial Observations by Alex Ferrone
Click image to read about the exhibition and view the artworks,
Click to read the article by Daniela Pronestì in La Toscana Nuova.
