Rossella Biscotti: The future can only be for ghosts

In her works Rossella Biscotti (b.1978, Molfetta) strives to reactivate memories, opening past time up to new perspectives and creating contemporary reinterpretations in the light of the present. The solo show, the artist’s first in an Italian museum, traces some of the key stages in her career, with new works produced for the occasion and elements of past projects.

It includes her 2009 project Le Teste in Oggetto, five bronze heads of King Vittorio Emanuele III and Benito Mussolini, created in 1942 for the Universal Expo in Rome, which was subsequently cancelled, and The Prison of Santo Stefano, tracings of the floor of the prison in the Pontine Islands.

The nature of the works reveals much about the art and modus operandi of Rossella Biscotti, whose recent interest in sculpture confirms her predilection for an open, progressive approach. All the pieces on display—videos, photographs and works on paper—have an undeniable socio-political component, but the exhibition also reveals how this is infused with an imaginative, evocative vision.

Viewers are elicited to explore these physical traces, activating their own sensations and emotions: engaging with Biscotti’s pieces gives key insights into how power structures and interpretations of history can condition us both physically and psychologically.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue in three languages (Italian/English/German) with texts by Letizia Ragaglia, Chus Martinéz and a conversation between Rossella Biscotti and Cesare Pietroiusti.