Fabrizio Plessi's 'Nero Oro' Transforms Deconsecrated Church in Padua

Fabrizio Plessi (Reggio Emilia, 1940) presents 'Nero Oro', a site-specific exhibition at the Fondazione Alberto Peruzzo's new headquarters in the former Church of Sant'Agnese in Padua. The 13th-century church, restored by the foundation, now features a nave for temporary installations, a terrace for archaeological finds, and a sacristy for the foundation's collection. Curated by Riccardo Caldura, the exhibition marks Plessi's 84th birthday and unfolds across three spaces: a luminous mosaic in the nave that interacts with 14th-century fresco fragments, a gold flow invading a Roman sword remnant in the hypogeum, and over 100 drawings in the sacristy tracing the evolution of gold in Plessi's work. Caldura describes the mosaic as 'a vibrant luminous mosaic, almost every tessera made of golden fluid,' emphasizing Plessi's dialogue with the past as a living heritage. The exhibition runs at the Fondazione Alberto Peruzzo in Padua.