Thought-Provoking Sculptures
Bronze statues by sculptor Bruno Catalano are present in the lagoon of Venice through the end of November. His Travelers, also known as Les Voyageurs, are dispersed, splintered people, every on their own journey. 30 of his most current Travelers make a route through the city in conjunction with Ravagnan Gallery and the 58th Venice Art Biennale. These “imperfect” images weave between theaters, cathedrals, and historical castles; they are linked conceptually but distinct in their trip.
In some ways, Catalano’s Travelers are a mirror of his own life. He was born in Morocco, and his family was exiled to Marseilles in the middle of the 1970s. The action, which took place while he was a teenager, had an impact on him for the rest of his life. He spent years working in many fields before turning to sculpture at the age of thirty. His big break as an artist occurred in 2005 when a Parisian gallerist took note of his work. Since then, Catalano’s technical skill and the strong psychology that drives his painting have both advanced.
His Travelers lack the essential components that would finish them; they are both full and blank. In this way, they are always looking for the missing parts. In Venice, famous locations like the 17th-century Teatro Goldoni have become houses for Catalano’s statues, where they coexist with and stand out from the surrounding architecture. His work has a somber message and culminates in a dramatic tableau located inside the cathedral of Santa maria Gallo where metal and ceramic statues collide. Catalano is once again trying to get our attention by showing us how quickly something that appears to be solid—terracotta—can be destroyed.
His Travelers lack the essential components that would finish them; they are both full and blank. In this way, they are always looking for the missing parts. In Venice, famous locations like the 17th-century Teatro Goldoni have become houses for Catalano’s statues, where they coexist with and stand out from the surrounding architecture. His work has a somber message and culminates in a dramatic tableau located inside the cathedral of Santa maria Gallo where metal and ceramic statues collide. Catalano is once again trying to get our attention by showing us how quickly something that appears to be solid—terracotta—can be destroyed.
According to Catalano, “I’m always searching for the motion and the expression of emotions in my work. I get out of shape and wax inertia to give them life.” “Being a native of Morocco, I brought these luggage packed with emotions that I frequently invoke. In addition to visuals, they also carry emotions and needs and wants: my origins in movement.
Bruno Catalano’s bronze statues are dispersed around Venice during the 2019 Venice Art Biennale.
Due to the fact that they are missing crucial components of themselves, His Travelers grapple with issues of loneliness and loss.
The ancient Ravagnan Gallery in Venice collaborated with Catalano’s site-specific works.
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