Fabio Viale's Tattooed Marble Statues Invade Turin's Musei Reali

Italian artist Fabio Viale (born 1975, Cuneo) presents 'In Between', a site-specific exhibition-installation at the Musei Reali in Turin, running from November 2021. The show features his signature marble sculptures adorned with contemporary tattoos, placed throughout the royal palace's courtyards, halls, and corridors. Curated by Roberto Mastroianni and Filippo Masino, the exhibition juxtaposes classical forms with modern body art, creating a dialogue between past and present. Key works include a giant tattooed hand pointing skyward in the inner courtyard, a veiled young woman with a back tattoo in the grand staircase, a tattooed 'Amore e Psiche' in the Salone delle Guardie Svizzere (with tattoos inspired by Middle Eastern tradition as a solidarity message for Afghanistan), 'Lorica'—a tattooed bust of rapper Fedez—in the Armeria Reale, and 'Souvenir Pietà (Cristo)', a marble body separated from Michelangelo's Vatican Pietà, in the Cappella della Sindone. The exhibition aims to engage younger audiences through tattoo culture.