the solo exhibition nature by Sergio Sarra (Pescara, 1961) will open at the Museo Nazionale Romano – Palazzo Altemps. Curated by Lorenzo Bruni and Ludovico Pratesi, the exhibition is deliberately designed to take visitors on a narrative journey through the appartamento nobile of the palazzo, encompassing a path from the Sala isiaca to the Sala grande del Galata. Within these spaces, the artist’s works engage with the classical sculpture collections meticulously preserved within the museum, which belong to notable aristocratic lineages including the Ludovisi, Altemps, Riario, and Brancaccio families. 

The exhibition title nature serves as an indication of the project, drawing from its definition as the future participle of the Latin verb nascor. This definition encapsulates the idea of something that will be generated or spontaneously arise. This statement reveals the artist’s creative approach, where he has crafted a narrative that revolves around the interaction of the figure with its spatial surroundings, employing intricate interplays between lines and colors. 

“I envisioned entering the rooms of the palazzo” the artist elaborates, “with the idea of creating non-invasive artworks that could interpret the historical context and the visual and symbolic stimuli existing within.” Sergio Sarra’s contribution consists of 24 works that delve into the concept of the pictorial object and the viewer’s role, which is continually shaped by the overwhelming influx of modern hyper-information. Director Stéphane Verger state that “The Museo Nazionale Romano is pleased to continue a tradition of exhibitions related to the relationship between the classical and the contemporary, seen at the Palazzo Altemps venue in the works of Matthew Monahan (2016), Alfredo Pirri (2018), and Elisabetta Benassi (2019)”. 

Exhibition catalog published by Edizioni L’Obliquo, 112 pages, Italian/English, texts by Stéphane Verger, Vittorio Sgarbi, Cecilia Casorati, Lorenzo Bruni, Ludovico Pratesi, Giorgio D’Orazio. Translated by Angelica Federici. 

Press kit: bit.ly/sergiosarra_nature