Joanna De Vos

An intriguing selection of works by the Belgian artist Jan Fabre unfolds a remarkable itinerary across sites of important art-historical value in Agrigento and Monreale.

The project, curated by Joanna De Vos and Melania Rossi, is organized by MondoMostre and promoted by the Assessorato regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell’Identità Siciliana. Over fifty works created between 1982 and 2016 are on display: drawings, sculptures, performance films and mosaics. Also two new performance film works especially created for this occasion are presented.

In the Valley of the Temples, Jan Fabre explores the theme of the oracles closely connected with nature and its elements. Works on the tortoise, the oracular animal par excellence, are also visible at three sites of considerable importance in the city of Agrigento: the church of Santa Maria dei Greci, the Lucchesiana Library and the cloister of Santo Spirito.

In the Archeological Museum ‘Pietro Griffo’, an installation evokes the question of eternal life with the constant reinvention of oneself. The exhibition at the Cathedral of Monreale unveils Jan Fabre’s fascination with the eternal cycle of life. Here the jewel beetle is at centre, a sacred animal and ancient symbol of resurrection. In the Chapel of San Benedetto, exceptionally open to visitors for the entire duration of the exhibition, the integration of the sculpture ‘The man who bears the cross’ (2015) is primarily intended to ‘welcome dialogue’ in a sacred space that has been described as the most beautiful temple in the world.