Andrea Benetti’s Neo-Cave painting invites us to take a step back to the origins of our human species, to the primordial instincts of man, and to the necessity of a closer relationship with nature and the most simple and immediate forms of communication—among which artistic expression stands out as perhaps the most distinctive trait that connects us to primitive humans. In particular, Cro-Magnon man (or Homo sapiens sapiens), to whom the exhibition’s title is dedicated, was the first among our prehistoric ancestors to use painting as a means of expression.
Modern genetic studies suggest that the Cro-Magnon people, who entered Europe from Central Asia around 30,000 BCE, were the first carriers of the specific genetic marker of modern Europeans (M173). What distinguished them from other primitive populations—along with the refinement and dissemination of more advanced tools—was precisely their unique predisposition for artistic expression.
When we speak of prehistoric art, we are referring to a phenomenon that began at least 40,000 years ago, and possibly much earlier, when human groups started painting, engraving, molding, or sculpting forms on rock, bone, mud, and so on. But even the very words that define this field—art, form, painting, etc.—encapsulate within them an immense wealth of events that have shaped and determined them within the contemporary horizon. In fact, we can assert that little to nothing has changed in the artistic landscape from then until today. As the great master Lucio Fontana wrote in his Manifesto Blanco, the gesture and artistic invention in art are more important than its material content; they are “the only acts of eternity possible for man.” Art becomes eternal through the meaning it seeks to convey, not through the techniques by which it is executed.
It is precisely within this perspective that Andrea Benetti’s work takes shape: he perceptively recognizes the relevance of an art so distant in time, analyzes cave painting for its intrinsic meaning, and reinterprets it in an extremely innovative and original way. He emphasizes its simplicity and expressive immediacy, highlighting the many nuances of this language which, though seemingly far removed from us, unexpectedly proves to be closely linked to and comparable with contemporary artistic expression.
A close analysis of the works exhibited across the three rooms of the exhibition takes us on a journey through time—one that not only retraces the key stages of Benetti’s artistic path but also invites a broader reflection on the evolution of art through the centuries. Just as in those ancient caves where everything began—where the rough, uneven rock surfaces were used by primitive humans to shape their depicted subjects—Benetti’s first room presents a series of drawings (Tracce Apocrife) created with natural and unconventional pigments. These emerge from a textured surface uniquely crafted by the artist, who recreates the raw and irregular quality of cave walls. This approach fully mimics the creative hand of early humans: there is no premeditated idea projected onto the space, but rather an exploratory process that allows various possible images to emerge from the background—taking the form of animals, unsettling masks, and stylized human figures that exude a magical and spiritual essence, just like the paintings made millions of years ago inside caves.
With this series of drawings, Benetti proposes an unprecedented approach in his choice of expressive language, bringing himself even closer to the naturalism and immediacy characteristic of cave paintings. He takes a further step back from the already well-known paintings of his Neo-Cave style, which, while revisiting the figures and themes of prehistoric art, reposition them within a fantastic and surreal dimension. These figures are thus presented as symbols whose apparent simplicity and immediacy conceal a depth of study and thought far from superficial. Rather than aiming to imitate, they serve as vehicles of spirituality, designed to emphasize the profound message they convey—urging the viewer to reflect on a return to origins, a search for the sacredness of life through the reconstruction of a simple and harmonious relationship with nature, understood as renewal and purification.
This same reflection extends to Benetti’s production of abstract paintings which, within this temporal journey, represent the natural evolution of primitive art. They seem to offer the possibility of transcending ordinary perception, projecting the viewer into a fantastical and supernatural world. But isn’t this, after all, also the purpose of Paleolithic art? There is no doubt. Paleolithic humans engraved figures, signs, and symbols onto hard rock, all of which express the same aspiration to transcend materiality—so much so that they can be considered, in every sense, the forerunners of avant-garde artists. 
And so, the circle closes: past and present converge, and what appears to belong to the past is more alive than ever in the present, revived through our own contemporary perspective.