Francesco Arena: the age of Airain

The Prats Nogueras Blanchard gallery in Barcelona is hosting the exhibition 'L'Âge d'Airain' by the Italian artist Francesco Arena (Torre Santa Susanna, 1978). The title refers to the iconic work of Auguste Rodin and proposes a reflection on the use of the statue and sculpture as devices of representation and memory, as well as on time and transformation.

Arena often uses his own data such as weight, height or the distance of his eyes from the ground to emphasize the relationship between the story and the individual, as well as the interaction between the human body and its environment. This approach is manifested in works such as Statua (... as head), Statua (... as heart) and Statua (... as balls), which consist of three bronze pedestals of different heights corresponding to the artist's head, heart and gonads. On these pedestals, objects selected by visitors or curators are placed, thus changing the title of the piece each time the element is replaced. The pedestals, cast in bronze and painted white to look like wood, symbolize permanence despite their fragile appearance.

'Marcel', Francesco Arena (2025)

Another outstanding work is 'Marcel', composed of six bronze plaques that reproduce those that mark Marcel Proust's residences in Paris, Illiers-Combray and Orleans. Gathered in the gallery, these plaques lose their original context and become displaced objects that explore the ideas of memory, authenticity and place, presenting Proust's life as a unified narrative within a single space. Francesco Arena has participated in numerous international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale and the MAXXI in Rome. His work is characterized by a deep investigation into temporality and the intersection of the historical and the personal, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between the individual and history.

'Statua (... as heart)', Francesco Arena (2025)