Davide Dormino: The Snail's Time and the Need for Slowness in Art
During an interview on May 21, 2026, Italian artist Davide Dormino, born in 1973, spoke about his work 'Il tempo della lumaca' (The Snail's Time), which emphasizes the importance of slowness in modern art. As a professor at RUFA, Dormino has produced notable public installations, including 'Breath' (2011) at the UN, 'Anything to Say?' (2015)—which won him the Prix Éthique in 2016—'Poltergeist' (2019), 'Naviganti_Monumento all’immaginazione' (2017), and 'Atlante' (2019). He is currently working on a large-scale sculpture for Fiumara d’Arte. By using the snail as a metaphor, Dormino promotes art that fosters public engagement over mere spectacle, highlighting the significance of vulnerability and fragility in his students' work.
Key facts
- Davide Dormino is an Italian sculptor and visual artist born in 1973.
- He is a professor of Drawing and Sculpture at RUFA – Rome University of Fine Arts.
- The interview took place on May 21, 2026, at his studio in the Pigneto district of Rome.
- His work 'Breath' (2011) is permanently installed at UN headquarters in New York.
- 'Anything to Say?' (2015) was presented in Berlin, 26 European capitals, and Australia.
- He received the Prix Éthique in 2016 from AntiCor for 'Anything to Say?'.
- He is currently completing a monumental sculpture for Fiumara d’Arte.
- Dormino cites Richard Serra, Doris Salcedo, Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, and Banksy as influential artists.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- United Nations
- RUFA – Rome University of Fine Arts
- AntiCor
- Tate Modern
- Fiumara d’Arte
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Pigneto
- New York
- United States
- Berlin
- Germany
- Australia
- Qatar
- London
- United Kingdom
Sources
- Artslife —