L’eleganza di essere distesi

“To lie down is to be something or someone who offers themselves defencelessly. There is immense elegance in being and in lowering oneself to the level of the earth to listen to its breath. Trees are gods, descended from the heavens to make us happy, and here, beneath my feet, lies Mimmo Paladino’s Tree of Life. In the Parco della Pace, it is not the only mosaic, yet it is the one that sparked in my mind the desire to explore its meaning, to respond, to converse with it and seek answers.
This work has lost its former splendour; as well as areas missing tiles, it has lost its colour: it has become a black-and-white work. To mark our times, I could not have found a deeper affinity. It is losing pieces. Right now, it is covered by an autumnal carpet, and with one foot I brush the leaves aside. I slowly reveal the images and listen to the rustling. My action brings to light primordial animals and a humanity that bends under the weight of the branches of an increasingly intricate life. In abandoning my upright posture, as I bow, I feel the call to lie down and listen to the breath of the earth and of my soul. My body becomes a figure amongst the figures and a stubborn, obstinate guardian of a land that is nothing other than us.”
Curated by: Mariella Busi Delogu in collaboration with Associazione culturale Dis-ORDINE e Liceo Classico Dante Alighieri di Ravenna