Barry X Ball: Medardo Rosso Project

On the occasion of his solo show at Ca’ Pesaro, the artist responded to “La portinaia” (1883), “Bambino alle cucine economiche” (1893) and “Madame X” (1896). The outcome of Barry X Ball’s long, in-depth scrutiny of Rosso’s output is Catalogue Raisonné: ten works by the American artist based on Rosso’s original sculptures and created with the aid of CNC (computer numerical control) technology. Barry X Ball renders Rosso’s complex forms in minute detail, “reinvented, almost revisited” in various materials, from golden calcite to pink and white Iranian onyx, or highly transparent materials such as Mexican white onyx. The results are striking three-dimensional pieces that mirror Rosso’s sculptures.