La Balena, Jacopo Allegrucci ’s installation created for the 24th International Exhibition of the Milan Triennale, Inequalities, was set on fire this morning. The alleged perpetrator was identified and stopped by officers of the Milan Police Headquarters; once at the police station, the arsonist was arrested.
The work, a huge blue paper mache sculpture depicting a cetacean, had been made for the exhibition that opened on May 13. Firefighters also responded to the scene. The installation was part of the project The Fragility of the Future, which focused on endangered animals, and was one of four large figures designed to raise public awareness. The Whale was thus a symbol of environmental fragility and the struggle to protect endangered species. Allegrucci, author of the work, is also known as the master of the Viareggio Carnival floats.
“The arson that destroyed Jacopo Allegrucci’s large Whale at the Milan Triennale is a vile and senseless act that strikes not only a work of extraordinary symbolic power, but also culture, creative freedom and the civil conscience of our country. This act of violence and incivility wounds a project that through art denounced the fragility of the future and the need to protect endangered species. I express full solidarity with the artist, the Milan Triennale and all those who worked to bring to life a cultural experience of high value,” said Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli.
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| Milan, Jacopo Allegrucci's Whale set on fire at the Triennale. Arrested the arsonist |
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