TIMELESS ENCOUNTERS | Chapter III, ESSENTIA
ESSENTIA
Museo Etrusco Guarnacci | archeological artefacts
Eleanor Lakelin (UK) |sculpture in wood
Palazzo dei Priori (Volterra)
10 July – 15 September 2024
On the 10th of July opens ESSENTIA, the third and final art exhibition of the three-annual project Timeless Encounters | Etruscan and Contemporary Art in the historical setting of Palazzo dei Priori in the heart of Volterra (Tuscany), curated by KALPA Galleries and promoted by Association Anima Silvae and Guarnacci Etruscan Museum. The exhibition will present a group of iconic sculptures in wood by British artist Eleanor Lakelin in dialogue with an unprecedented selection of Hellenistic pottery (III-II BCE) from the Museum of different sizes and purposes.
Tackling the leading concepts of the multiplication and repetition of forms, millennial customs and creative sensibilities, ESSENTIA focuses on the mysterious yet present discourse on the true essence of matter and its infinite ramifications and transformations, from the era of the Etruscans and on to the contemporary art language of British artist Eleanor Lakelin’s sculptures.
The exhibition presents a selection of artworks from Lakelin’s ongoing iconic series Echoes of Amphora (from the wider Contours of Nature series), worked in the burr from the Horse Chestnut tree, speaking of the porosity between disciplines and the artist’s deep understanding of her material. Lakelin’s work deepens the ancient concept of the vessel as a metaphysical device that carries the human soul: her sculptures transcend the object’s function of the container, bringing the artwork to relinquish its material integrity to reveal what lies beneath the surface. Her creative process revolves around the natural and intrinsic qualities of the wood itself, specifically sustainably sourced wood, which she highlights through her sculptural action.
In dialogue with the artist’s sculpture is an unprecedented selection of Hellenistic pottery (III-II BCE) from the prestigious Museo Guarnacci’s collection in Volterra giving witness to the key role of the timeless legacy of ancient craftsmanship. According to Etruscan beliefs, amphoras, craters and other shapes of vessels, in addition to their specific functions, could house spirits in their cavities of all kinds and otherworldly meanings. Mirroring the deep connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead in the Etruscan civilisation, in ESSENTIA, integrated into a group of funerary vessels including a dolio and two urns, are an undecorated amphora and a couple of black oinochoe, originally used for pouring wine or water.
Through the encounter between Lakelin’s contemporary sculptures and Etruscan archaeological finds, ESSENTIA delves into the essence of the vessel as a portal that facilitates communication between the outer world and the inner world, the cortex and the core, exploring the evolution of its function over centuries of artistic practices and beliefs.
Collezione Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
Founded in the mid-1700s thanks to a donation from the noble abbot Mario Guarnacci, the Museum is one of the oldest and most important Etruscan museums in Italy. The core of the archeological collection is in the order of 600 Etruscan funerary urns. The production of these objects grew in Volterra between the 4th and 1st centuries BCE using various materials: notably terracotta, stone and alabaster. The most significant urns are made of alabaster, a material that was both easy to shape and suitable for painting.
Artist information
Eleanor Lakelin works exclusively with sustainably-sourced wood, coming from forests all over Britain. Her works are part of prestigious public and private collections, including the V&A, London; the MAD, New York; the National Museum, Norway; and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design. The artist has received prizes and awards, including the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize Finalist in 2022, the QEST Scholarship in 2018 and the British Wood Awards in 2017.
Exhibition location and dates
Sala del Giudice Conciliatore, Palazzo dei Priori (Volterra, Toscana)
10 July – 15 September 2024
10 am – 7 pm, every day, free entrance
Exhibition organisation and curation
Organised by Associazione Anima Silvae, KALPA Art Living and Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
Artistic curatorship and texts by Eleonora Raspi for KALPA
Scientific curatorship by Fabrizio Burchianti, Museo Etrusco Guarnacci
Exhibition partners and sponsors
TIMELESS ENCOUNTERS | Chapter III, ESSENTIA is made with:
With the support of Altair Chimica (Saline di Volterra)
With the contribution of Fondazione Cassa Risparmio di Volterra
Technical sponsorship of MATTEOBRIONI srl.
Technical sponsorship of Unicoop Firenze
Under the patronage of Comune di Volterra and Regione Toscana
For additional information
Please contact KALPA Galleries Art Living:
tel. +39 3890476417 and/or email. info@kalpa-art.it,
and follow us on instagram.com/kalpaartliving/
Images courtesy of KALPA Art Living, Museo Etrusco Guarnacci and The Artist.
