|
The
new version of the "Venus of the Rags" will be unveiled in
January and set up again in Piazza del Municipio, a monumental
square in the heart of the southern Italian city, for four
months.
It will absorb what was left from the fire of the original
artwork, art critic Vincenzo Trione explained, "to show that it
is possible to rise from the ashes, not only metaphorically".
The new version will be made of fire-proof material.
"Replacing it is not only about aesthetics but is also a
political gesture that shows that we will not stop," Naples
Mayor Gaetano Manfredi told a news conference.
The piece of art was a 10 metre-tall (32.81 ft) sculpture of the
goddess of love, beauty and fertility, turned backwards and
facing into a pile of rags.
The original "Venus of the Rags" was created in 1967 and various
versions are on display in museums across Europe, including the
Tate Gallery in Liverpool, northern England.
"It's an extraordinary occasion for me. I would have never
thought in 1967 that I would find myself once again immersed in
this piece of art," Pistoletto said, adding that "we must now
heal (Venus)".
The installation is meant to convey the juxtaposition between
eternal beauty, represented by Venus, and modern society's
social degradation and consumerism.
Pistoletto, 90, will entirely finance the new artwork, which
will be permanently donated to Naples.
The money raised through a crowd-funding effort launched after
the fire will be used to finance projects by non-profit
organisations supporting people with disabilities and female
prisoners.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Keith Weir and Tomasz
Janowski)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
