Piero Golia has returned to Italy at last to present an original project that takes shape within the framework of a subtle dialogue made up of echoes of and references to its historical and cultural setting. A great surprise for the public, invited to let themselves be carried away by the sense of wonder that characterizes Golia’s artistic practice.

The work is developed through some of the means of expression most frequently adopted by the artist, who mixes the media of installation, video and performance. It is conceptually linked to an intervention carried out in 2016 at Villa Medici, seat of the French Academy in Rome, which was connected, in turn, to a performance staged at the same academy in 2002.

The first stage of this performance in several acts involved a group of musicians playing a march that could be heard like an echo from the bottom of the garden as they advanced towards the villa, but that came to a stop before the public were able to see the performers. This action subsequently evolved into a new performance, in 2016, which alternated the music played by the same performers, finally visible this time, with moments of silence, and concluded with the appearance of the words ‘to be continued’, hinting at the possibility of, although not guaranteeing, a continuation of the work. 

The new action, staged exclusively for Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio, takes up the legacy of these works, reflecting on the consequence of participating in the performance, and can be seen as an ideal conclusion to a ‘Roman trilogy’ – commenced in 2002 and renewed in 2016 – maintaining its spirit unaltered. 

This new stage in Golia’s research brings into play the joint use of multiple languages and sets out to involve visitors fully in an atmosphere of celebration and surprise. In this circumstance too, as is customary in the artist’s practice, the subjects dealt with turn as always around a reflection on and questioning of the boundaries between reality and fiction, objectivity and subjectivity, being and appearing.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue with critical essays and photographic documentation of the works on display. 

For the occasion, the private spaces of Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio, used as a project room, will host the new productions of the artist Radu Oreian (Târnăveni, 1984).