jan fabre at the mucciaccia gallery in rome and london

ROME aise – Until December 15th the Mucciaccia Gallery from Rome hosts “Allegory of Caritas (An Act of Love)”, An exhibition consisting of over thirty new red coral sculptures and a series of unpublished blood drawings by Jan Fabre. Simultaneously, from today, 11 October, also the London branch of the gallery will present a selection of works belonging to the same series, creating a single exhibition project, curated by Melania Rossi.
Vanitas skulls, anatomical hearts, crosses and liturgical objects but also the Yin and Yang and the Celtic love knot, as well as emblems related to solidarity and humanitarian aid, and even objects that recall popular beliefs or personal events of the artist, they find representation in the works on display.
The corpus of sculptures in Mediterranean red coral, fiery red concretions that seem to have emerged directly from the depths of the artist’s mind, is a poetic encounter between natural matter and artistic vision. Similarly, in the drawings made by the Flemish artist with his own blood, the vital fluid is used with skilful technical mastery to tell the gestation of his son Django.
Art is the privileged means for depicting life, its origin and its mystery, opposites, harmonies and beauty, which in Jan Fabre’s meticulous research are made works of profound allegorical significance. An ancient bond unites the blood to the coral, of which Ovid in the “Metamorphoses” tells the mythical birth from the blood of Medusa. Even in the shape of the coral branch it is easy to trace a resemblance to the network of blood vessels.
In Fabre’s works, the artist’s visionary character blends the long symbolic tradition of coral with the concept of “caritas”, a Latin word that etymologically derives from carus, beloved, loved. A concept present in all cultures from east to west of the world, which unites all human beings in solidarity and love, as an engine that continues to generate and preserve life.
The appearance of living flesh combines the coral sculptures with the drawings of blood, from which the sweetness of an intimate and personal feeling emerges. The artist recounts the dawn of existence through ultrasound scans of the unborn child, inviting reflection on human vulnerabilities and needs.
Private experience becomes universal in Fabre’s works, which lead us to observe the things of the world as aggregations of meanings that resonate with each other, of stories that are handed down and merge over time. The tension present in his works and the amazement they arouse are always infused with a spirituality that harmonizes contrasts.
As the artist says: “Art is like love, it always leads to reconciliation”.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by Silvana Editoriale with an essay by the curator and texts by Dimitri Ozerkov, art historian, philosopher, curator, Sara Liuzzi, art historian, critic, journalist and Barbara De Coninck, publicist and author. (aise)