Coral sculptures and blood drawings: Jan Fabre's unpublished works on display at Mucciaccia Gallery

Mucciaccia Gallery in Rome presents the exhibition Allegory of Caritas (An Act of Love), curated by Melania Rossi, from October 6 to December 15, 2022. More than 30 new red coral sculptures and a series of unpublished blood drawings by Jan Fabre (Antwerp, 1958) will be on display. A selection of works from the same series will also be exhibited from October 11, 2022 at the gallery’s London branch, thus creating a single exhibition project.

Vanitas skulls, anatomical hearts, crosses and liturgical objects, but also the Yin and Yang and the Celtic love knot, as well as emblems related to solidarity and humanitarian aid, and even objects that recall folk beliefs or personal events of the artist, find representation in the works on display. The body of sculptures made of red Mediterranean coral, fiery red concretions that seem to have emerged directly from the depths of the artist’s mind, is a poetic encounter between natural matter and artistic visionariness. Similarly, in the drawings made by the Flemish artist from his own blood, the vital fluid is used to narrate the gestation of his son Django.

For Jan Fabre, art is the privileged medium for depicting life, its origin and mystery, opposites, harmonies and beauty, which in the artist’s painstaking research become works of profound allegorical significance. An ancient bond unites blood and coral, of which Ovid in the Metamorphoses recounts the mythical birth from Medusa’s blood.

In Fabre’s works, the artist’s visionary approach fuses the long symbolic tradition of coral with the concept of caritas, which etymologically derives from carus, beloved, beloved. The appearance of living flesh unites coral sculptures with blood drawings, from which the sweetness of an intimate and personal feeling emerges. The artist recounts the dawn of existence through the ultrasound scans of her unborn child, inviting reflection on human vulnerabilities and needs.

Private experience becomes universal in Fabre’s works, prompting the audience to observe the things of the world as aggregations of meanings that resonate with each other, of stories that are passed down and merged over time. The tension present in his works and the awe they inspire are always infused with a spirituality that harmonizes contrasts.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by Silvana Editoriale.

For info: www.mucciaccia.com

Hours: Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.

Image: Jan Fabre, The little resurrection of life, detail (2022; precious coral, pigment, polymers, 24 x 14 x 6.5 cm)

Coral sculptures and blood drawings: Jan Fabre's unpublished works on display at Mucciaccia Gallery

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.