Maria Cristina Carlini Donates Obelisk Sculpture to Milan

Maria Cristina Carlini (Varese, 1942) has donated a new monumental sculpture titled 'Obelisco' to the city of Milan, installed in Piazza Berlinguer (Giambellino area) from June 21, 2024. The work stands over four meters tall and is crafted from reclaimed wood and corten steel. The wood originally came from an old stable, now encased in steel. Curated by Flaminio Gualdoni, the obelisk is described as a tribute to 'history without names'—not heroes but a community united by shared values. Memory is a recurring theme in Carlini's practice, linking past and future. Alongside the sculpture, an exhibition runs until June 30 at Spazio Seicento (Sala Arianna), featuring ten photographic panels and video interviews that highlight key moments in Carlini's career and the genesis of her permanent works across three continents, including Denver, Miami, Beijing, and Shanghai. Carlini has previously donated three significant works to Milan: 'La porta della giustizia' (2007), 'Vento' (2013), and 'La Nuova città che sale' (2014), permanently installed at the Corte dei Conti courtyard, Parco-Scultura dell'Idroscalo, and Fiera di Milano-Rho respectively. The artist explains that the obelisk combines history and contemporaneity, using reclaimed wood with its own past and corten steel to symbolize the union of past and present.