Support Venice

 

Contemporary artist Lorenzo Quinn has unveiled “Support,” his new monumental sculpture at the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel in Venice, during the annual Biennale.

Internationally renowned as one of the most popular sculptors of our times, the installation showcases Quinn’s artistic progression and his experimentation with new mediums and subject matter to transmit his passion for eternal values and authentic emotions.

Reflecting on the two sides of human nature, the creative and the destructive, as well as the capacity for humans to act and make an impact on history and the environment, Quinn addresses the ability for humans to make a change and re-balance the world around them – environmentally, economically, and socially. “Support” sees Quinn reflect on and re-address these global issues by echoing the meticulous execution and technique of the Masters of the past to create a powerful and unique sculpture, which will be displayed for the duration of the Venice Biennale.

“Support” sees two large hands emerging from the Grand Canal to protect and support the historic building of the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel. The hands symbolise tools that can both destroy the world, but that also have the capacity to save it. At once, the sculpture has both a noble air as well as an alarming one – the gesture being both gallant in appearing to hold up the building whilst also creating a sense of fear in highlighting the fragility of the building surrounded by water and the ebbing tide.

“I wanted to sculpt what is considered the hardest and most technically challenging part of the human body,” Quinn reveals. “The hand holds so much power – the power to love, to hate, to create, to destroy.”

By installing “Support” in Venice, Quinn draws attention to the delicate existence of humans and society against the force of nature in today’s climate of change. The hands symbolise the role people must play in supporting Venice’s unique world heritage. In doing so, the past lives in the present and it also lives in the future memory of generations to come.

Mature in style and demonstrative of his visceral empathy and technical accomplishment, Quinn’s intimate pieces are the means by which he communicates his universal messages to viewers. Exemplifying the art of harmony and balance, “Support” has been powerfully designed to demonstrate Quinn’s latest reflection on the environment and climate issues facing today’s society.

For Quinn though, sculpture is primarily an art of communication, a medium through which he aims to bring tolerance, understanding and harmony. “I make art for myself and for people who wish to come along for a ride through my dreams,” he says. “How we live our own lives is of the utmost importance, and my work is to do with values and emotions.”

Born in Rome to the Mexican-American actor Anthony Quinn and his second wife, Jolanda Addolori, Quinn’s childhood was split between Italy and the USA. His father had a profound influence on him, both in terms of living in the limelight of the film world and with respect to Anthony Quinn’s early work in painting and architecture. Studying at the American Academy of Fine Arts in New York, Quinn planned to be a Surrealist painter. However, at 21, he decided that his future lay in sculpture, which could better accommodate both his energy and originality.

Further Details:
Hotel Ca Sagredo, Campo Santa Sofia 4198/99 – Ca’ D’Oro, 30121 Venezia
www.casagredohotel.com

For further information, go to www.halcyongallery.com