Fabio Mauri (1926-2009) grew up in Mussolini-era Italy, and as a consequence, his art consistently examines the ways in which the traumas of war and fascism are assimilated by history. The gallery is filled with wall pieces, archival photographs and found-object sculptures. For the most part it’s the simpler works that resonate – a lone artillery shell on a plinth of the same gunmetal colour – versus the more elaborate assemblages of stacked basket hampers and military helmets, which feel a little sanitised. The horrors of totalitarianism are most effectively spelt out in the central installation, ‘The Grand Council,’ in which a waxwork Mussolini and 28 of his military personnel are gathered around a dinner table. Walking amongst these jackbooted men will send a shiver down your spine.
During the exhibition run three performances of ‘Rancio’ da Picnic o Il buon soldato are scheduled on: Thursday Dec 10 at 6.30 pm; Saturday 12 December at 1 pm and Saturday 6 February 2016 at 1 pm.