FONDAZIONE ARNALDO POMODORO AND FENDI___ EXHIBITION
FENDI recently opened Arnaldo Pomodoro. Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà (Arnaldo Pomodoro. The Great Theatre of Civilizations). The exhibition, curated by Andrea Viliani and Lorenzo Respi in collaboration with Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, is hosted at FENDI’s headquarters in Rome, the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.
The collaboration between Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro and FENDI is part of a broader partnership aimed at combining respect for historical heritage with the support and diffusion of contemporary artistic languages and the search for new forms of collaboration based on sustainability and innovation.
The exhibition showcases approximately 30 works by Pomodoro, created between the late 1950s and 2021, and a range of archival materials, including sketches, drawings, and photographs, many of which have never been exhibited before. Visitors can explore Pomodoro’s experimentation over the past 70 years, as the exhibition takes the form of an autobiographical “theatre” that showcases the interconnection of visual and scenic arts.
Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro and FENDI have partnered to promote contemporary artistic languages and to search for new forms of collaboration that prioritize sustainability and innovation. This exhibition is part of a broader partnership aimed at combining respect for historical heritage with contemporary art.
The exhibition commences at the Palazzo’s four external corners, where four sculptures, Forme del mito (1983) – Il potere (Agamennone), L’ambizione (Clitennestra), La macchina (Egisto), and La profezia (Cassandra) – are situated. These sculptures were originally designed as part of a series of theatrical performances inspired by Aeschylus’ Orestes and created by the artist Emilio Isgrò. They were initially presented on the ruins of Gibellina’s main square, which was later destroyed by the Belice earthquake. The sculptures now act as a backdrop, redefining the building and transforming the so-called Colosseo Quadrato, one of the architectural symbols of Modernism and Italian Rationalism, into an open, reinterpretable, and re-designable work of art. By integrating themselves with the Palazzo, natural landscape, and surrounding urban community, the four Forme del mito offer a fresh perspective on the building, which is no longer defined once and forever.
The exhibition showcases works by Arnaldo Pomodoro in various spaces within Palazzo delle Civiltà Italiana. In the entrance hall, two costume-works by the artist are displayed, inspired by ancient Greek and African/Asian art, and recalling the stories of Dido and Oedipus. The exhibition continues in two specular rooms, with two opposing colored works, Le battaglie and Movimento in piena aria e nel profondo, along with other works that delve deeper into Pomodoro’s research. The second room includes the work Movimento in piena aria e nel profondo and Continuum. In these rooms, visitors can also find design and documentary materials displayed within drawers and racks. The itinerary concludes on the third-floor arcade with Osso di seppia. Additionally, Rotativa di Babilonia and Tracce are also exhibited.
Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà is also a starting point for discovering Pomodoro’s other works located in Rome and around the world, an opportunity to deepen one’s knowledge of the artist’s experimentation and his relationship with the “eternal city”. The exhibition is accompanied by a monographic catalogue published by Skira – with an essay by the two curators, numerous critical and bio-bibliographic materials and extensive photographic documentation – which will be available in FENDI boutiques and directly in the exhibition space. It can be explored digitally via a dedicated mini website (http://arnaldopomodoro.fendi.com/) where users will also be able to sign up to visit the exhibition.
Arnaldo Pomodoro. Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà is showing at Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana – Quadrato della Concordia 3, Rome EUR until 1 October 2023.
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Arnaldo Pomodoro. Il Grande Teatro delle Civiltà
FENDI
Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro
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