Gustavo Aceves: Lapidarium
The monumental, enigmatic travelling public sculpture installation “Lapidarium. Waiting for the Barbarians” by the Mexican artist Gustavo Aceves will be in Rome from September 15.
It will be on public display in some of the most important archaeological sites of the city. After an advance exhibition in 2014 in Pietrasanta, where Aceves lives, and the first presentation in Berlin in 2015, the 40 enormous sculptures measuring from 3 to 8 meters high and as long as 12 meters will be set up at the Colosseum, Trajan’s Markets, the Imperial Forum and the Arch of Constantine.
The artist intended for his ‘army’ of bronze, marble, wood, iron and granite to represent man’s eternal migration throughout history, making it possible to reinterpret Western history from a critical standpoint.
The work is a way of reflecting on the oppression and violence of populations against one another, and of giving a voice to those who are forced constantly from one place to another, those “losers” who, emigrating, are often considered “barbarians” and invaders. The exhibition was curated by Francesco Buranelli and will be in Rome until January 7. Afterwards it will visit Istanbul, Paris and Venice in 2017 and will end the tour in Mexico City in 2018.
Lapidarium, also known as Skeletal Horses, is a traveling public sculpture exhibition by Mexican artist Gustavo Aceves. The installation, which addresses immigration, was installed in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin during May 2–10, 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. It consists of 22 bronze and marble horse statues that are broken or cracked, and have a skeletal and unfinished appearance. Some pieces include human skulls within, representing immigrants who died during their journey. The work’s title refers to lapidariums, or sites where archeological findings are exhibited, creating an association between the fragmented artworks and our shared history and past. After Berlin, the work will be installed in Paris and Mexico City after Rome.
