Maloberti’s Tribute to Maria Lai in Ulassai

Marcello Maloberti created a living sculpture for the centenary of Maria Lai’s birth, staging a performance that involved returning a road sign to Ulassai. The sign, held by two security guards, was originally used in a 2015 work for Casalpusterlengo and shown at the Triennale di Milano. It served as a preview for “Cuore mio,” a site-specific installation and performance engaging the entire community of Ulassai, home to Lai’s “Museo a Cielo Aperto.” The title comes from a story by Salvatore Cambosu in “Miele Amaro,” about a mother who turns to stone to save her son. Maloberti’s intervention references Lai’s 1981 performance “Legarsi alla montagna,” where she tied houses to the mountain with a blue ribbon. On September 21, 2019, the sign was placed horizontally like a flag in the open-air museum. Later, in Piazza Barigau, Maloberti presented “Circus,” a traveling installation with a tent and 200 mirrors, first created in 2003. The event celebrated Lai, a major 20th-century Italian artist.