The exhibition Face Fear, at Villa Romana in Florence, revolves around the legacy of public art produced during the fascist regime of Mussolini.
The bronze sculpture Genius of Fascism Sport derives from a public statue located in Rome. The statue depicts a naked male from ancient Rome, making the fascist salute. Made by Italo Griselli in 1939, it was originally named Genio del Fascismo. After WWII, the statue was altered in a futile attempt to cover up its fascist origin. The title was changed to Genio dello Sport and the statue was given ancient Roman boxing gloves to wear. Genius of Fascism Sport consists of detailed replicas of these gloves.
Memory Games is a series of aerial photographs of people playing sports in Foro Italico, a sports complex that was built as Foro Mussolini. The entrance to the complex consists of a monumental walkway with fascist mosaics. Nowadays, the walkway is a popular place among locals for exercise. Memory Games captures how these people (inadvertently) interact with their own past in the process.
In the last room of the exhibition a sculpture is placed with its back towards the entrance. It is the figure of a naked boxer, made by Romano Romanelli in 1931. On a closer look, the face bears a strong likeness to Mussolini. Romano Romanelli (1882–1968) was a prominent Italian sculptor who made many public works for the fascist regime. Pugile Ferito [Wounded Boxer] stands in a tradition of sculptures of boxers at rest. But why would Romanelli have depicted Mussolini as a wounded boxer?
Face Fear was developed in the frame of a research fellowship at Villa Romana and the Kunshistorisches Institut Florenz (KHI). It was also supported by the Mondriaan Fund.
The exhibition Face Fear, at Villa Romana in Florence, revolves around the legacy of public art produced during the fascist regime of Mussolini.
The bronze sculpture Genius of Fascism Sport derives from a public statue located in Rome. The statue depicts a naked male from ancient Rome, making the fascist salute. Made by Italo Griselli in 1939, it was originally named Genio del Fascismo. After WWII, the statue was altered in a futile attempt to cover up its fascist origin. The title was changed to Genio dello Sport and the statue was given ancient Roman boxing gloves to wear. Genius of Fascism Sport consists of detailed replicas of these gloves.
Memory Games is a series of aerial photographs of people playing sports in Foro Italico, a sports complex which was built as Foro Mussolini. The entrance to the complex consists of a monumental walkway with fascist mosaics. Nowadays, the walkway is a popular place among locals for exercise. Memory Games captures how these people (inadvertently) interact with their own past in the process.
In the last room of the exhibition a sculpture is placed with its back towards the entrance. It is the figure of a naked boxer, made by Romano Romanelli in 1931. On a closer look, the face bears a strong likeness to Mussolini. Romano Romanelli (1882–1968) was a prominent Italian sculptor who made many public works for the fascist regime. Pugile Ferito [Wounded Boxer] stands in a tradition of sculptures of boxers at rest. But why would Romanelli have depicted Mussolini as a wounded boxer?
Face Fear was developed in the frame of a research fellowship at Villa Romana and the Kunshistorisches Institut Florenz (KHI). It was also supported by the Mondriaan Fund.