Jan Fabre
A series of works realized in iridescent beetle wing cases will be on exhibit: three new sculptures and two large five-meter triptychs inspired by the sad, violent history of the colonization of the Belgian Congo. In these works, historical inspiration is united with the mediaeval symbology from one of the greatest Flemish masterpieces, Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights (1480-1490). In many respects, Bosch’s inferno, much admired for its marked inventiveness, became grisly reality in the Belgian Congo. In this work, Jan Fabre reconciles the harshness of the subject matter with the beauty of its presentation.
The exhibition is part of the project entitled Jan Fabre. Oro Rosso in which the Belgian artist returns to Naples and, in addition to the gallery, involves three other prestigious Neapolitan institutions: the Museum of Capodimonte, the Chapel of Pio Monte della Misericordia and the Madre Museum.
An exhibition entitled Oro Rosso. Golden and Coral Sculptures, Blood Drawings curated by Stefano Causa together with Blandine Gwizdala, at the Museum of Capodimonte features an original and surprizing series of red coral sculptures, specially created for the Neapolitan museum by the artist, together with golden sculptures and blood drawings executed by the artist from the Seventies to the present.
The sculpture The Man Who Bears the Cross may be viewed in the Chapel of Pio Monte della Misericordia in direct dialogue with Caravaggio’s masterpiece Sette opere di Misericordia (1606-1607).
The Madre Museum will preview the iconic sculpture entitled The Man Who Measures the Clouds, in a never-before-viewed version in Carrara marble which will be positioned in the museum’s Courtyard of Honour.