Joana Vasconcelos installs work around Cycladic idol at Syracuse's Paolo Orsi Museum

The Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi in Syracuse has borrowed a 70 cm marble Cycladic idol (c. 2800-2300 BCE) from the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens. Critic Demetrio Paparoni, a Syracuse native, was called to revitalize the museum and invited Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos (b. 1971, Paris) to create an installation around the idol. Vasconcelos, known for her fabric sculptures and feminist themes, has achieved record-breaking attendance at venues like the Palace of Versailles (1.6 million visitors) and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Her Syracuse installation envelops the idol with soft, monumental forms and incorporates female deity busts selected with archaeologist Anita Crispino from the museum's collection. In an interview, Vasconcelos discussed the idol's connection to female condition and eternity, noting that every artist aspires to eternity, which the idol has achieved. She emphasized the importance of harmony with the museum's space and staff, contrasting it with the 'wow' factor often associated with contemporary art. The exhibition also features her work 'The Crown,' previously shown in London for Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.