Luigi Serafini's Fantastical Universe at Labirinto della Masone

A vibrant exhibition at the Labirinto della Masone in Fontanellato, Italy, immerses visitors in the surreal world of Luigi Serafini, creator of the Codex Seraphinianus. The show features original plates from the 1977 encyclopedic work, three-dimensional installations, bronze sculptures, and paintings. Serafini, an architect by training, invented an indecipherable alphabet resembling Georgian script. The exhibition opens with framed letters of this alphabet and a golden cow offering hamburgers from a 1998 Cow Parade. It continues in temporary exhibition rooms, highlighting recurring motifs like eggs, skeletons, and rainbows. Drawing is Serafini's preferred medium, with meticulous details best viewed with a magnifying glass. His influences include Gino De Dominicis, Jacovitti, and Etruscan art. The finale features "Minotango," a gold-covered sculpture of the Minotaur and Theseus dancing a tango, placed inside the pyramid at the labyrinth's exit. Theseus holds a boxing glove and a dagger, referencing Borges and Franco Maria Ricci's shared passion for labyrinths. The exhibition was curated by Edoardo Pepino, director of the Labirinto della Masone.