Ugo Riva was born in Bergamo in 1951. From his youth he developed a strong interest in figurative art which left room, starting from 1977, for sculpture to which he will dedicate himself in his intense career. It proposes a critical reading of contemporary society through works that look to the ancient, to mythology, to the epic, to a style inspired by neoclassicism. His sculpture is famous Anima Mundi, the headless angel installed in Bergamo in the central Porta Nuova square, which conveys the fragile and brief sense of human destiny.
Riva does not delegate the composition of its creatures to anyone. From the sketch to the finishing touches, he entrusts only the moment of casting to others. Even the waxes and patinas bear his signature so that each work is an absolute unique piece. His sculptures take on a form at the end of a journey that is first emotional and then structural. He counts himself among his "putative masters". Michelangelo, not that of the canonical perfection of David but that of Rondanini Pieta and of theincompleteness. The dialogue between the themes and needs of the present with an eye to the past is constant. It combines materials such as bronze and the polychrome terracotta, demonstrating that it is the creative hand that chooses the ideal means of expression. He does not disdain incursions into other styles and forms of expression, such as drawing. All at the service of his investigation into the mysteries of the human soul and the meaning of life.