Creating a dialogue between the ancient and the contemporary, seeking connections and keys to understanding themes which, in any time and place, represent crucial nodes of existence for human beings, such as the relationship between the sacred and the profane, between life and death . Providing one’s own key to rereading these themes from another perspective is Allegra Hicks (Turin, 1960), artist and designer active between London and Naples who, as part of the XIII Settimana delle Culture, presents until June 16th in Palermo the exhibition I will carry you in the Blood, in the evocative setting of the Church of SS. Euno and Giuliano at the Magione.
“I’ll carry you in Blood”, Allegra Hicks’ exhibition in Palermo
By Mario Codognatothe exhibition occupies the two levels of the seventeenth-century church which had previously been the protagonist of contemporary art interventions, such as the installation by Wael Shawky in 2017 for BAM – Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo and the project Palermo Procession by Marinella Senatore on the occasion of Manifesta in 2018. On the first level, on the altar, a large drop of blood captures the visitor’s attention: blood is not only associated with the concept of death and suffering, but also that of life and of cyclical nature of existence, of loss and return. This aspect is emphasized by the work placed in front of the drop of blood, which hints at it on a light and ethereal fabric.
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Allegra Hicks on display in the Church of SS. Euno and Giuliano in Palermo
The crypt of the church hosts ex-votos created ad hoc by the artist: canvases depicting organs and parts of the body – eyes, heart, intestine, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas – are crystallized by a flow of resin, as if to stop time and memory, and each of them is placed in the niches that distinguish the underground environment of the Church. Anatomical representations return as protagonists at the center of the crypt, with a series of canvases in which the organs, at first glance, seem painted, but in reality they are woven like tapestries. Ex-votos with an ancient soul “revisited” in a contemporary key, revealing Hicks’ essence as a designer who, as already happened in the previous exhibition at the Chiesa della Misericordiella alla Sanità in Naples (again curated by Codognato), elaborates a visual alphabet that blends different languages and artistic genres.
Allegra Hicks talks about her exhibition in Palermo
“Presenting ‘I’ll carry you in my blood’ in Palermo after having shown part of this exhibition in Naples is an incredible emotion for me”, says Hicks. “I was deeply impressed by the space of the Church of SS. Euno and Giuliano, with its severe but pure aura, and above all from its crypt, which further inspired my creation. The new works enrich this exhibition with an even more intimate dimension, almost like a moment of devotion. Living in Naples, I was immersed in this world in which religiosity and paganism coexist, remaining deeply fascinated by it. The canvases”concludes the artist, “they therefore represent prayers, while the resins, the ex-votos, are the crystallization of these prayers, the answering of the supplications”.
Desiree Maida
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