«A title that contrasts with the traces of what happened to this room in 1943, when the Cariatidi were bombed. The Arcadian theme, the idyll, is perhaps the furthest thing from the disasters of war. But perhaps the function of this kind of literary invention was precisely this: to offer the human spirit a refuge, a happy island, to survive the violence of life and history, far from political intrigues and social conflicts». In this way the critical text by Roberto Lacarbonara and Sergio Risaliti introduces Pastorale, a new major solo exhibition by Nico Vascellari that brings together recent and unpublished works at Palazzo Reale in Milan, including the majestic Sala delle Cariatidi.
Nico Vascellari, “Pastorale”, installation view at Palazzo Reale Milano, ph. Melania Dalle Grave DSL Studio, courtesy Palazzo Reale Milano
A cylindrical sculpture with a metal surface immersed in the earth is the main protagonist of this journey, because that is what it is. A journey into the sensitivity of each of us, an internal gaze, something that takes possession of us and allows us to breathe at a serene pace, almost as if it were a step back in time. An idyllic time made of silence, contemplation and reflection. A time just for us in which we leave everything else outside. A sort of still image in which there is no violence, no political and social conflict but only the bursting force of mother nature that welcomes us all and reassures us. We breathe it as we travel through a space that seems infinite and then return to the starting point. We are as if captured by the power of that metallic being immersed in the earth. It is a sculpture or rather a site-specific project that at irregular intervals emits a strange, almost deafening sound. It lasts only a moment. Something moves, small fragments of dust that, having reached the limit, explode, releasing tiny particles into the air that fall to the ground. There is no why. In Vascellari’s art, which is so reminiscent of the great nostalgic names of those who had bursting and countercurrent visions of art, what matters is that you do not necessarily have to be tied to a logic of understanding. What matters in this case is the contact with something deep and silent, almost sacred, that seems to have abandoned us in the latest and chaotic modern times.
Nico Vascellari, “Pastorale”, installation view at Palazzo Reale Milano, ph. Melania Dalle Grave DSL Studio, courtesy Palazzo Reale Milano
In the summer of 1807, Ludwig van Beethoven began composing the Sixth Symphony, entitled Pastorale, which he completed in the spring of 1808. The composer loved walking in the fields, losing himself in the peace of the woods, in the silence of the forests. Nico Vascellari also feels at home crossing the landscapes of a wild nature. He reaches the mountains around Vittorio Veneto and walks for a long time along paths. It is no coincidence that, entering for the first time in Sala delle Cariatidi at Palazzo Reale, he thought of this title, Pastorale. A title that contrasts with what happened in that room in the distant 1943 when the Cariatidi were bombed but it is perhaps precisely this dissonance that makes this work something different and of great impact. The desire to find a refuge from the war. The intent to contrast the past and find oneself, to carve out a moment of peace. A return to the mother’s womb, a bit of warmth, that ancestral feeling of taking a step back to move forward.
Nico Vascellari, “Pastorale”, installation view at Palazzo Reale Milano, ph. Melania Dalle Grave DSL Studio, courtesy Palazzo Reale Milano
The exhibition is curated by Sergio Risaliti and intends to reflect on the interaction between historical and natural phenomena, acting as a continuation of Melma, the large exhibition by Nico Vascellari hosted at Forte Belvedere and the performance Alessio in Salone dei Cinquecento at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence in 2023. The estrangement that has accompanied the artist’s production from the beginning makes each of his projects the symbol of our need to relate and confront our human condition, extending the reflection also to the political sphere. As the artist stated in an interview published in Repubblica on 22/3/25: «Art is a sublime receptacle devoid of morality».
Flavia Annechini
Info:
Nico Vascellari. Pastorale
1/04/2025 – 2/06/2025
curated by Sergio Risaliti
Palazzo Reale Milano
P.za del Duomo, 12 – Milano
www.palazzorealemilano.it
Born in 1987. Freelance publisher, passionate about contemporary art and the interaction between visual arts. She graduated from DAMS in Bologna in 2013 with a thesis on the relationship between Futurism and Fashion. She is always looking for emerging artists and discovering subcultures. She collaborated for several years with D’Ars Magazine (now archive) and currently collaborates with ViralWave as art manager and with Juliet Art Magazine.
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