Milan, giant boats in which gold flows: Fabrizio Plessi's installation at Palazzo Reale


Gigantic boats, inside which a continuous stream of gold flows on television screens: this is Mariverticali, Fabrizio Plessi's site-specificic installation designed for the Sala delle Cariatidi in Milan's Palazzo Reale.

From June 27 to September 10, 2023, the Sala delle Cariatidi of the Palazzo Reale in Milan will host Fabrizio Plessi ’ssite-specific installation entitled Mariverticali: gigantic boats, inside which a continuous flow of gold flows on television screens. Promoted and produced by Comune di Milano - Cultura, Palazzo Reale and Studio Plessi, the exhibition is curated by Bruno Corà, Alberto Fiz and Marco Tonelli, with exhibition design by Lissoni & Partners

Ahistorical work actualized for the Sala delle Cariatidi, the installation consists of twelve steel structures, nine meters high, dedicated to the seas of the planet, tilted to the edge of falling, in an attempt to maintain their fragile hold. With their precarious balance, the boats represent a metaphor for the contemporary human condition, made of instability, uncertainties and tensions. With his language, Plessi is able to express urgent collective messages.



In the last three years, starting from the very first months of the pandemic, the artist has madewater, his element of choice in most of his creations, undergo a transformation into gold: this metamorphosis occurred for a series of works entitled The Golden Age. It is precisely natural resources, and in particular water, that are the most precious assets of our society, and this explains the alchemy created by Plessi.

On the 80th anniversary of the bombing that marked the current appearance of the Sala delle Cariatidi, the artist’s vessels stand in defense of the history and beauty of the place against violence and destruction, just as Pablo Picasso did when, in 1953, he chose this very room of the Palazzo Reale to exhibit Guernica.

“Everything then is ready to set sail on these new electronic Noah’s arks, raised to the sky for us, the incredulous and astonished aboriginal-digitals of our time,” said the artist.

For info: www.palazzorealemilano.it

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Image: Fabrizio Plessi, Mariverticali (2023; Milan, Palazzo Reale)

Milan, giant boats in which gold flows: Fabrizio Plessi's installation at Palazzo Reale
Milan, giant boats in which gold flows: Fabrizio Plessi's installation at Palazzo Reale


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