Matteo Pugliese's Monumental Sculptures Land at Milan Malpensa Airport

Milan Malpensa Airport has inaugurated a new cycle of art installations featuring five monumental sculptures by Matteo Pugliese (b. 1969, Milan). The works, from his Extra Moenia and Custodi series, are displayed at La Porta di Milano until March 30, 2017. Titled Spiriti Ostinati, the sculptures depict men struggling against vertical prisons, symbolizing painful rebirth. Highlights include Die Mauer, over six meters tall, previously exhibited in 2009 for the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall; La Spina, an aluminum piece showing a man removing a long thorn from his heart; and three Custodi figures, two in marble (about 2.5 meters high) and one in Carrara marble weighing over two tons. The Custodi feature carved armor and weapons on their surfaces, contrasting with their reassuring corporeality. The airport previously hosted works by historic artists like Fausto Melotti, Marino Marini, Gio Ponti, and Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo, as well as temporary interventions by contemporary artists such as Helidon Xhixha and Carlo Bernardini.