Gregorio Botta's Roman Exhibition Draws from 16th-Century Mystic

Fondazione VOLUME! in Rome presents Gregorio Botta's solo exhibition 'Essendo la mia casa addormentata', inspired by the 16th-century Spanish mystic and poet Saint John of the Cross. The show, part of a three-year cycle inviting artists to engage with shadow, penumbra, and sacred light, features Botta's intimate journey through three phases: liminal, illuminative, and unitive. The first room contains three angelic wax sculptures—'L'angelo della lanterna', 'L'angelo dell'ombra', and 'L'angelo della fonte'—functioning as reliquaries and guides. Subsequent works on waxed paper progress from dark to light, incorporating symbolic elements like arches, trinitarian groupings, and archaic cups evoking the feminine. A recording of actor Sergio Rubini recites the mystic's verses. The exhibition culminates in a final piece requiring distant contemplation, possibly representing union with the sacred or a dream. Curated by Francesca de Paolis, the show runs at Fondazione VOLUME! in Rome.