fabio viale's monumental tattooed marble sculptures take over turin

IN BETWEEN IS FABIO VIALE’S LATEST SHOW

italian sculptor fabio viale uses a refined, cultured, eccentric, and contemporary approach to historic sculpture-making, which he interprets in a very personal language. provocative when necessary, his work expresses the poetics of displacement and often intends to create a fracture. 

titled in between, viale’s latest show sees his tattooed monumental sculptures take over — for the first time — the italian city of turin, where his marble artworks will be on display in piazzetta reale and inside the royal palace.

images by nicolo campo DB studio

FIVE SCULPTURES INHABIT THE PUBLIC SPACE AND TWO NEW WORKS UNVEILED INSIDE THE SAVOY RESIDENCE

created in collaboration with florence’s poggiali art gallery, in between by fabio viale will showcase five sculptures in the public space and two new works unveiled to the public within the setting of the savoy residence. eternal models of beauty and metropolitan tribalism, tradition and innovation, a timeless past and current trends all come together in an exhibition designed to make public areas and museum locations interact closely.

set within the hall of the swiss guards, amore e psiche (cupid and psyche) is viale’s latest artwork. it replicated canova’s neoclassical masterpiece while disrupting its traditional interpretation through the tattooing of the female body with the wedding motifs of middle eastern brides suggesting a very topical reflection on the condition of women in the current geopolitical context on the themes of conquest, suffering and salvation.

‘I started working on amore e psiche several months ago, a sculpture on which I had initially planned to apply wonderful japanese tattoos,’ explained fabio viale. ‘however, in the light of recent events in afghanistan, I felt that my project had to undergo a radical change in the attempt to bridge the cultural gap between the west and the middle east, giving a voice to women not only from that country but also from many other parts of the world. this work represents a new milestone in my career as it allows me to open a window, through sculpture, on aspects of our actuality.’

adorning the royal armory, lorica offers a wearable old-fashioned armour made in pink marble, created from a high-resolution 3D scan of the body of the well-known italian rapper fedez, who lent himself to the playful heroization of his public figure.

1/9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘for thousands of years, marble has transformed what is born humble and transitory (be it a human body, a cloth or acanthus leaves) into a noble and eternal substance,’ said curator filippo masino. ‘thanks to the work of fabio viale, the vitality of real-life re-emerges from the stone surfaces, though without following the usual metaphors. the restructuring of the statues of the masters, the rewriting of the meanings and the illusion given by the marble representation of other materials stimulate our senses and curiosity while conveying messages of a universal value.’

fabio viale’s in between exhibition runs from 14 october 2021 to 9 january 2022. 

‘fabio viale’s works showcase masterpieces that stimulate the collective imagination, in a dialectic relationship between classicism and metropolitan tribalism, innovation and tradition, reality and simulation, which delivers a universal image of the human society and its forms,’ added curator roberto mastroianni. ’in this grey zone between the known and the unknown, between being and becoming, fabio viale explores the timeless value of art and aesthetic practice, illustrating our cultural heritage through contemporary languages ​​in a constant relationship between present and past.’

exhibition info:

name: in between

artist: fabio viale

location: musei reali torino 

dates: 14 october 2021 to 9 january 2022

in collaboration with: poggiali art gallery