11 works by Gianfranco Meggiato for exploring the theme of duality through mind and body
From December 1 to February 29, the area between Via Veneto and Porta Pinciana will be the stage for 11 sculpted monuments by Gianfranco Meggiato, composing the work I Dioscuri tornano a Roma, curated by Dimitri Ozerkov.
The Greek myth of the Dioscuri involves two “different” twin brothers, one immortal and the other not. They represent the starting point for investigating the significance of duality and duplicity, of opponents who come to be One, as Castor (a material being, a human) and Pollux (a spirit, a divine being) are opposing and complimentary realities who pursue a single union. Through them, the artist highlights the meaning of unity and brotherhood with the knowledge that we are all part of the same thing together.
The artistic end is also marked by dimensions of sculptures and by their expressions through verticality, which recalls that natural tendency of human beings to find an inner spirituality, to discover themselves, yet willing to rise above their individuality and face the outside.
The exhibition and the sculptures
Il Volo (“The Flight”) and L’Attimo Fuggente (“The Fleeting Moment”) are a couple of sculptures placed at Porta Pinciana. The first represents Pollux, the divine brother, conscious that man cannot be satisfied by materialism alone, but cannot “fly above” to feel life. L’Attimo Fuggente then symbolizes Castor, the mortal brother, and reminds us that life should be fully experienced, because it is full of moments which happen then are lost, never to return.
On Via Veneto lies Sfera Quantica (Quantum Sphere), which recalls the force from which all matter begins; Taurus, representing the instinctive component in harmony with interior essence; Cubo con Cubo (Cube with Cube), which recalls our closing of the possibility of looking inside and below ourselves. And still there’s Fiore d’Oriente (Eastern Flower), a bud that can germinate in us even after negative experiences; Scorpius, stretching to the Heavens to symbolize our activation of energy; Doppio totem (Double Totem), which reminds us of how experiences, positive or negative, can manifest in our souls; Cono Energia (Energy Cone), a meeting point between the visible and invisible; and Colonna Energia (Energy Column), a column of light which challenges time and stretches up to the Heavens.
The exhibition closes with Disco Orione (Orion’s Disc), which recalls the brilliance of this constellation.
The works, with heights ranging from two to five meters, are made from aluminum and bronze and are placed on stainless steel bases. It’s possible to go through the itinerary of the exhibition through your smartphone, following a complete map of images and descriptions, which is activated by scanning a QR code placed on signs accompanying each sculpture.
The artist
“To bring this great show with 11 works in the center of the Capital allows us to refer to the roots of Ancient Rome to convey a very relevant message: like Castor and Pollux who were different brothers, one mortal and the other divine, we are also, today, invited to confront that which appears different from ourselves, to recognize it like a source of enrichment for the community, with the awareness that we are all leaves from the same tree, we are all waves in the same sea. This, for me, is the essence of true brotherhood,” explains Gianfranco Meggiato.
A sculptor of Venetian origin, Meggiato is the inventor of the concept of intrasculpture: the observer’s gaze is drawn to the interiority of the work, not limited only to the external façade. Through the technique of lost wax, he models his sculptures inspired by biomorphic fabric and on the labyrinth, which symbolizes the torturous path of the man eager to find himself and to reveal his precious interior sphere.
From 1 December 2023 to 29 February 2024
Via Veneto, Porta Pinciana – Rome
