Twenty-nine works by Mitoraj in Syracuse and on Etna, the exhibition finishes.

Scheduled for September 19th and 20th

The exhibition 'Lo sguardo – Humanitas Physis' is about to close in Syracuse (in the Neapolis Archaeological Park and next to Castello Maniace in Ortigia) and on the lava rocks of Etna, in the municipality of Ragalna (Catania). It opened on March 26, 2024, marking the 10th anniversary of the death of the master Mitoraj, the day he would have turned 80. The 29 monumental works, arranged by curator Luca Pizzi with the collaboration of executive production director Paolo Patanè, will be the centerpiece of the closing ceremony on September 19 and 20. Atelier Mitoraj and Galleria d'Arte Contini have organized artistic performances, entrusting Gisella Calì, a musical theater instructor, with performances dedicated to the four elements around which the exhibition was developed. We'll begin with a fire around the Cracked Theseus on Etna, then move on to Neapolis: the land of Bendato Eros, the air of the Luci di Nara, the water where Icarus was enchanted. The two days will be a tribute to the exhibition's artistic journey, which ends by creating new beginnings.

A journey beyond Sicily and back to Tuscany, concluding a summer in which Mitoraj's art was the protagonist of two major musical events of the season. In July, the bronze Tindaro Screpolato served as the backdrop for three major concerts by Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, another event organized with the Contini Gallery. Two more bronzes, Ikaria and Torso di Ikaro, were also placed in the town center. Mitoraj—who was entrusted with the set design for the first concert, for which he chose the Grande Sonno, now the symbol of the Teatro del Silenzio—returned with his art for the twentieth edition. He also returned to the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago, where in 2002 the Polish sculptor created sets and costumes for Manon Lescaut. "Back then, I was his assistant set designer; today I have the honor and responsibility of bringing him back to the stage," says Luca Pizzi, head of the Mitoraj Atelier and set designer. "For the aesthetics, I tried to respect Mitoraj's work as much as possible, adapting it to the new stage. There will always be strong emotions, which only grow stronger with the passing of time: Mitoraj will still be able to speak to each of us, touching us deeply."