Arnaldo Pomodoro Sculpture Prize. 5th edition | Aleksandra Domanović. The Falseness of Holes

Awarded by the Selection Committee of the Prize – composed of Diana Campbell Betancourt, Anita Feldman, Martino Gamper, Lisa Le Feuvre, Anna Maria Montaldo, Lorenzo Respi and Andrea Viliani – the sculptor, with the support of the Polo Arte Moderna e Contemporanea of the City of Milan, which shares the goals of the Prize, presents a new installation specifically conceived for the space of the Sala del Parnaso at the GAM.

To create the work, titled The Falseness of Holes, Aleksandra Domanović was inspired by a statement by Medardo Rosso, part of an interview published on October 17, 1907, in The Daily Mail: “A sculpture is not made to be touched, but to be viewed from a certain distance, according to the effect intended by the artist. Our hand does not allow us to become aware of the values, tones, colors… in a word, the life of the object.” Domanović was particularly struck by Medardo’s intention to make the material of the sculpture forgettable, and by the central role photography played in the sculptor’s creative process.

In this new project, the artist will involve a wax work by Medardo Rosso, the Portinaia (1883-1884), continuing her investigation into the boundary between matter and the digital in contemporary sculpture. Just as the Italian sculptor transcended the physical element by using photography to study the work, Domanović has selected one of Medardo's pieces from the collection of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano, and will install it in the Sala del Parnaso after having integrated it with a technological support of Augmented Reality (AR), which allows virtual images to be superimposed onto the real context. Thanks to Augmented Reality, the work will offer the visitor an unpredictable trait d’union between traditional sculptural practice and technological innovation, opening up possibilities that were not available in the time of Medardo Rosso, but are absolutely in line with his idea of a work of art.

The new sculpture will be visible not in the physical space, where Rosso's work will instead be displayed, but on personal portable devices, smartphones and tablets on which visitors will be able to download the accompanying software. The virtual work can change shape, size, or context, depending on the interaction and participation of the audience. Domanović's site-specific project will offer the opportunity to personally explore the boundaries of contemporary sculpture, while still remaining within the tradition of sculpture history, of which Medardo Rosso is one of the foremost representatives, and in which the collections of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano hold some of the most representative works.

The exhibition, conceived and produced by the Foundation in collaboration with the GAM and with the support of the City of Milan, enjoys media partnership with IGPDecaux and technical partnership with ERCO, in addition to the contribution of Tanya Leighton, Berlin.

In conjunction with Domanović’s exhibition, the Foundation has promoted a temporary reinstallation of Room XXVII at the GAM, displaying, alongside Rosso's sculptures, four of his photographs provided by the Medardo Rosso Museum in Barzio.

On the occasion of the exhibition, a catalog is published by the Foundation, featuring a conversation between Aleksandra Domanović and Mason Leaver-Yap.