Ignazio Mortellaro's Dual Exhibition Explores Myth and Ritual Between Palermo and Milan

Ignazio Mortellaro (b. 1978, Palermo) is the subject of a two-chapter exhibition spanning FPAC galleries in Palermo and Milan, curated by Antonio Grulli. The shows delve into myth, ritual, and ancestral energies, with Palermo's genius loci serving as an 'expanded studio.' Central motifs include the serpent—described by Grulli as the artist's 'guide animal'—and obsidian, a material used by prehistoric humans for rituals and tools. Works incorporate bones, ram and antelope horns, jackal teeth, and gilded leaves. The exhibition title, 'Giš gi tug ga,' refers to a piece made of anodized sheet metal, jackal teeth, silver, and iron. Paintings of white corals, titled 'Grande respiro,' symbolize fragility and transformation. A performance, 'Hunter/Hunted,' was staged in Palermo with support from Fondazione Merz, using exhibited works. Mortellaro also engages with the figure of Cain, inscribing Giuseppe Ungaretti's poem 'Caino' on an industrial leather belt suspended by metal rods reminiscent of Dalí's crutches. The artist employs the Fraktur typeface, evoking broken bones or branches, to explore primordial instincts and the desire for innocence.