Fulvio Morella's Romanitas: Braille Tapestries and Amaranto Sculptures at Gaggenau DesignElementi

Fulvio Morella (born 1971 in Grosio) presents 'Romanitas' at Gaggenau DesignElementi in Rome, the first chapter of 'Scripta?', a four-exhibition cycle curated by Sabino Maria Frassà exploring the link between writing, art, and matter. The centerpiece is 'Sipario di stelle', a hyper-soft tapestry translating Nietzsche's quote about the eternal hourglass into a constellation of five-pointed shapes corresponding to Braille dots. Visitors are encouraged to part the fabric with their hands and can experience the work blindfolded. The textiles were donated by Lelièvre, a Parisian company founded two centuries ago that supplies luxury hotels. Morella spent 18 months creating six textile works, which are alternated with wooden sculptures previously shown in 'Pars construens'. The sculptures reduce Rome's iconic monuments—Pantheon, Mausoleum of Augustus, Colosseum—to their essential architecture, also including ancient theaters and masks of Roman comedy. One mask references Buccus, the archetypal charlatan, and evokes the Bocca della Verità. The sculptures are carved from South American amaranth wood, chosen for its exceptional red hue symbolizing Rome's passionate and bloody character, cardinal elegance, and imperial mantle. The wood has no grain, feels like plastic or metal, and is cooler than other woods. The exhibition juxtaposes 'Gravitas' and 'Vanitas', with the work '5 centesimi' featuring an engraved Colosseum, referencing the sestertius coin of the Roman Empire.