Santella

Matteo Bimbi

2020

L 18; W 26; H 125 cm

gilded plywood, electrical outlet, painted tubular metal, 5 Kg barbell weight

sculpture

12 pieces L.E.

Santella, one of the italian terms for shrine, is an object that plays
with the idea of sacred site, presenting in a profane and ironic way
the motif, common in many religions and mythologies, of the “world tree” or “axis mundi”, the connection between Heaven and Earth.
A juxtaposition of archetypical shapes and ordinary objects, Santella
is a weird domestic monument that emphasizes and ritualizes common gestures like charging the phone, in an attempt to bring back symbolic structure into our everyday life through means of hyperbole and humour.

Santella is an assemblage object made with a 5Kg barbell weight as base,
that supports a black painted metal tubular on which is attached a temple-like
wooden structure covered in gold leaf. Inside the temple is installed a naked electrical outlet. It is made in Florence through a mix of elements of bricolage: looking for
the required objects in specific places, the weight in a sporting goods store,
the electrical outlet in a hardware store; and elements of fine craftmanship:
the small temple is handmade by a qualified artisan.
In the end the job of the author is to simply collect all the needed components
and putting them together in a coherent way.

info@fakeauthentic.it

e-shop soon available