If you are headed to Venice before November 26th this year, be sure to check out the historic Ca' Sagredo Hotel – not just for the charming hotel itself but for a temporary sculpture that adorns the exterior and has been capturing the attention of the press and the public worldwide over the past few days.
Lorenzo Quinn's “Support” is an outdoor installation that features two giant hands reaching out of the Grand Canal and looking as though they are supporting the structure of the hotel. Unveiled on May 13, in time for the 57th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, the piece was created in conjunction with London's Halcyon Gallery and the city of Venice. If you want to see this work of art, the Biennale or any of the millions of beautiful sights and artworks that this great city has to offer, just browse our holiday rentals in Venice and get planning a trip.
Lorenzo Quinn's “Support” is an outdoor installation that features two giant hands reaching out of the Grand Canal and looking as though they are supporting the structure of the hotel. Unveiled on May 13, in time for the 57th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, the piece was created in conjunction with London's Halcyon Gallery and the city of Venice. If you want to see this work of art, the Biennale or any of the millions of beautiful sights and artworks that this great city has to offer, just browse our holiday rentals in Venice and get planning a trip.
The work is a whimsical delight and photogenic treat but also has a much more serious message. Cities like Venice are in serious danger because of rising water levels and global warming and we need to step and lend our own hands to help, rather than merely try and counteract the results. In their official press release the Halcyon Gallery notes "the two sides of human nature, the creative and the destructive, as well as the capacity for humans to act and make an impact on history and the environment".
Made in the artist's Barcelona studio using the ancient method of "lost-wax casting", – an acknowledgement of the great Masters of the past – Quinn himself says he "wants to speak to the people in a clear, simple and direct way through the innocent hands of a child” and that the work “evokes a powerful message, which is that united we can make a stand to curb the climate change that affects us all."
Made in the artist's Barcelona studio using the ancient method of "lost-wax casting", – an acknowledgement of the great Masters of the past – Quinn himself says he "wants to speak to the people in a clear, simple and direct way through the innocent hands of a child” and that the work “evokes a powerful message, which is that united we can make a stand to curb the climate change that affects us all."
Powerful and thought-provoking but fun and striking at the same time, the work is definitely a must-see for art-lovers and, really, anyone planning to visit Venice over the course of the next few months.