Álvaro Siza, Sacro
From 9 November 2016 to 26 March 2017.
Curated by Achille Bonito Oliva and Margherita Guccione, head of research Roberto Cremascoli.
Álvaro Siza, Sacro is an installation designed by Álvaro Siza in which the theme of the sacred initiates a dialogue with the MAXXI Museum space.
The new walls, or better yet piers 3.5 meters in height, that define the sequential layout of the exhibition are strategically distributed elements of an installation that defines an intentionally sinuous path. An alternation of wide and narrow space, an apparently torturous route and inclined walls are the results of an informed search for a balanced composition that provokes the sudden and unexpected discovery of the content of the exhibition.
A rhythm of solids and voids, of small objects alone on a vast wall, or the dilated space of a photograph projected on the wall in large format and a model of an architectural project, define the expressive intentions of Álvaro Siza, who lives for contrasts and sudden shifts in scale, of wich the human figure always the focus, and where voids are filled by silence.
Religious objects designed for the Pope, the silver egg for Benedict XVI and the sacred robes for Francis, a crucifix, chalice and decorative tiles alternate with a series of figurative drawings and ten architectural projects, not only religious.
The walls designed by Siza for the immense Gallery are transformed into elements that breathe. They pulsate to the rhythm of the sequence of photographs projected on the walls and are transformed into an installation. The images in the photographs by Roberto Collovà, Luìs Ferreira Alves, Leonardo Finotti, Nicolò Galeazzi, Fernando Guerra, Mimmo Jodice, Manuel Ribeiro and José M. Rodrigues describe spaces of religious worship, but also speak of calm atmospheres in which nature and landscape are the principles of the sacred.
