ESSENTIA exhibition | A new timeless encounter between Etruscan Art and Contemporary Sculpture

E X H I B I T I O N

On the upcoming 10th of July 2024 opens ESSENTIA, the third and final art exhibition of the three-annual project Timeless Encounters | Etruscan and Contemporary Art in the historical setting of Palazzo dei Priori in the heart of Volterra (Tuscany), curated by KALPA Galleries and promoted by Association Anima Silvae and Guarnacci Etruscan Museum. The exhibition will present a group of iconic sculptures in wood by British artist Eleanor Lakelin in dialogue with an unprecedented selection of Hellenistic pottery (III-II BCE) from the Museum of different sizes and purposes.

“Material is transformed into objects that invite touch and reflection, reminding us of our elemental and emotional bond with wood and our relationship to the earth.” - Eleanor Lakelin

From micro to macro, indulging in the leading concepts of multiplication and repetition of forms, millenary customs and creative sensibilities, ESSENTIA focuses on the mysterious and yet present discourse on the true essence of matter, its infinite ramifications and transformations.

The selected archeological and contemporary objects explore the dual function of matter, which is both container and skin, a membrane that allows communication between the exterior and the interior. The Etruscans believed that amphoras, craters and other shapes of vessels, in addition to their specific functions, could house spirits in their cavities of all kinds and otherworldly meanings. Lakelin's work deepens the ancient concept of the vessel as a metaphysical device that carries the human soul: her sculptures transcend the object's function of cointainer, bringing the artwork to relinquish its material integrity to reveal what lies beneath the exterior cortex. The vessel thus becomes a portal.