Federica Luzzi's 'Shell' at La Nuova Pesa, Rome

Federica Luzzi's exhibition 'Shell, del crepuscolo o dell’alba' opened at Galleria La Nuova Pesa in Rome, running until March 4, 2022. The show features textile sculptures that evoke dormant life forms, such as microorganisms that can reawaken under favorable conditions. The works are categorized into Red Shell, dyed with hematite powder to suggest blood, and Black Shell, treated with graphite powder to resemble seeds burned by time or preserved in volcanic ash. A large aerial sculpture in the third room consists of two light fabric panels sewn together, reminiscent of Saint Clare's garment called Alba. The artist describes art as a dormant beauty, something that once lived and can live again, preserving life's secret texture beyond space and time. The sculptures float in a raking, nostalgic light of dawn or dusk. The exhibition's title references Teilhard de Chardin's concept of the ring as a transition from matter to life.