Ryan Mendoza's 'The Golden Calf' Critiques Consumerism at Palazzo Reale, Palermo

Ryan Mendoza's exhibition 'The Golden Calf' at the Fondazione Federico II in Palermo critiques modern consumerism through ceramic stuffed animals, human-sized bats, and vibrant paintings. The show, housed in the Palazzo Reale, includes the Sala dei Vicerè with works featuring bright colors reminiscent of TV ads and comics, depicting young women's faces reflecting societal pressures. In the Giardini Reali, a bat sculpture symbolizes human subjugation to social dictates. Mendoza, a New York-born artist residing in Sicily, collaborated with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Catania, where sculpture students created the stuffed animals and bats, and photography students produced a documentary directed by Fabia Mendoza. The exhibition extends beyond Palazzo Reale to Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri, the Orto Botanico di Palermo, the MANN in Naples, and the Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella in Rome.