On 1 April 2015 RUST, an installation of recent sculptures by Louise Manzon, will be officially unveiled at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The exhibition will be open to the public from 2 April to 17 May 2015.

RUST not only as the corrosion of matter by atmospheric agents but also the tendency of a metal artefact to return to its original state, as found in nature: a rebirth and an opportunity.

The site-specific installation designed by Louise Manzon develops some of her favourite creative themes: female figures in the role of vigilant, maternal custodians of life’s secrets, sea creatures and the vital regenerative nature of the marine conditions they live in.

The female figure is Tethys, in the narcissistic image of a body rendered with great resonance… A kind of fan decorates the head of the mythological goddess. A baroque structure supports the sculptural arrangement, an all-embracing conformation that articulates the masses in the body and dress. The curved line creates the hint of an upward movement, a thrust towards aerial positions and sudden miraculous flights that free Tethis from the laws of gravity” (From the presentation by Achille Bonito Oliva).

A shoal of fish in primordial forms represents aquatic life, the power of genesis threatened by pollution and neglect. Also outside of water these phenomena threaten the vitality that the artist highlights in her works through vivid colours and shimmering forms. Modelled in terracotta, at times transfigured into an iron-like material, Louise Manzon’s sculptures evoke primordial swimming creatures, the earliest forms of aquatic life that emerged from the depths of the abyss, in timeless elegant guise. Her works restore the joy of a world that she has experienced in life and shares with us, with our myths and stories. Ancient but also very topical modern figures remind us of the importance of safeguarding the environment and the crucial relations between humanity, nature and culture.