Lucia Cantò's '36°' Explores Human Fragility at Monitor Rome

At Monitor gallery in Rome, artist Lucia Cantò (b. 1995, Pescara) presents '36°', her second solo show, referencing her body temperature during sleep to evoke a dreamlike, silent dimension. The exhibition features sculptures in clay, aluminum, bioplastic, and brass, adhering to an 'arte povera' aesthetic. Central work 'Madre 2' is a large composite vase with plaster inscriptions of reflections by the artist's mother; a twin vase shown at Fondazione Elpis in Milan (October 2023–February 2024) carried Cantò's responses, forming a broken conversation. Cantò's difficulty with verbal expression leads her to incorporate handwritten phrases in Italian and English on her own and her partner's skin in handmade photographs. Religious references appear in 'Piccolo cielo', an aluminum reproduction of Marian crowns, alongside an assemblage of colored cushions and brass casts. 'Perimetro sicuro', a large perforated aluminum house, invites reflection on family and emotional polarity. The folkloric 'Monumento equestre' is an enlarged mold of a traditional Abruzzese Easter sweet, grounding the artist in her homeland. The installation's heterogeneity mirrors dream logic—illogical leaps, isolated objects, and semantic voids—juxtaposing cold materials with warm themes. The show was reviewed by Francesca de Paolis.