Ugo Rondinone's Dual Rome Installations at Macro Testaccio and Trajan's Markets

Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone (born 1964, Brunnen; lives in New York) presents two linked installations in Rome for the first time, at the Macro Testaccio (a former slaughterhouse) and the Mercati di Traiano (Trajan's Markets). At Macro Testaccio, 'Vocabulary of Solitude' features forty-five brightly colored clown figures in languid poses, representing human actions over 24 hours. The clowns, influenced by Samuel Beckett's 'Krapp's Last Tape,' embody contemporary angst and absurdity. A mezzanine collection of about 3,000 rainbow drawings by local children contrasts the clowns' melancholy. At Trajan's Markets, 'Silver Nights' displays five aluminum casts of ancient olive trees from Matera, painted matte white, each named after a full moon (e.g., Winter Moon, Hunger Moon). The trees, cast from millenary olives near Rondinone's parents' hometown, are the same age as the archaeological site. Curated by Ludovico Pratesi, both exhibitions run until September 11, 2016 (Macro Testaccio) and September 1, 2016 (Trajan's Markets).