Made up of sculptures, installations, sound works, and performances, Due qui / To Hear offers a manifold, multisensory experience. The project, born out of a respectful dialogue with the Pavilion – with no structural additions or any form of display – takes viewers on a three-part path that can be travelled in either direction, letting them move freely within the spaces. In Tesa 2, for instance, they are greeted by the bronze statue of a Pensive Bodhisattva.

This image from Buddhist art represents a person who, having attained enlightenment, voluntarily gives it up in order to show others how to get there, by embracing inactivity. This statue is emblematically placed at one end of a long recumbent column, a line of demarcation that, despite its architectural appearance, reveals its true nature as an organ pipe by producing a steady drone. The suspended state suggested by the Bodhisattva is underscored by this low vibration, which evokes a circular kind of time.

This focus on listening to oneself and to others can also be seen in the dialogue established between forms and styles from the Italian cultural tradition (Baroque music and gardens) and even more specifically, the Venetian one (antiphonal music and organs), and those of other cultures and climes (Buddhist art and spirituality); between the representation of Italy, and the involvement of foreign musicians and writers in Massimo Bartolini’s project.

As if it were the fountain in this stylized garden, a circular minimalist sculpture (Conveyance, 2024) occupies the center of the space. What looks like a bench where visitors can gather and rest is also a point for contemplating the motion of a conical wave. This quiet oasis – a beating heart within the exhibition – is the ideal spot for listening to the composition written for the project by two musicians at the leading edge of experimental and electronic music: Caterina Barbieri (b. 1990, Italy) and Kali Malone (b. 1994, United States).

Source: Padiglione Italia Press Release, Rome, February 27, 2024