"Dis/comfort" 

curated by Alessandro Cristofari, Roberta Cristofari, Eleonora Turli and Giusy Longo

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6 March - 24 March, 2024
Palazzo Rospigliosi

Zagarolo, Italy

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The exhibition investigates the communicative and inclusive difficulties of a "different" who is closer to us than we think, narrating the suffering of those who feel misunderstood and those who cannot convey their condition of discomfort outside themselves. Everyone in the course of their existence has experienced deprivation: in traversing this impervious terrain, we invisibly weave a bond between ourselves and others. What often escapes us is that in the vast mosaic of existence, the external quest for recognition, entitlement and freedom is a reflection of the individual's own inner yearning, unaware of how deep down his or her path is intertwined with that of others in a common quest.

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Herms as passage, Herms as Transit

Paolo Porelli's herms act as Ciceros for human metamorphosis, witnesses to the painful rite of passage that is changing skin.

Deepening the apotropaic sense that these figures held in the ancient placement on crossroads, instilling security and good fortune to travelers in the destination homeward, here they are transformed into a new attempt to cathartically make emotions flow in an eternal movement.

 

The herms do not investigate, judge, or condemn, but witness the passing of the wayfarer as a metaphor for overcoming trauma in the passage of a restorative time, no longer distant mirages but monolithic beacons in the midst of the stormy ocean for the indomitable sailor who sets off into the unknown.