Novecento

A different allusion to an existential condition, where the subject is deprived of any possibility of action, is elaborated in Novecento (1900), 1997. The work consists of an embalmed horse hung from the ceiling by a sling. The animal’s neck is bent downward and the hooves, stretched out during taxidermy, extend toward the ground. A new take on the concept of natura morta (“still life,” literally “dead nature”), the final image is one of frustrated tension, of energy destined to find no outlet. By the artist’s own admission, insecurity is a defining aspect of his approach, and the idea of failure is a theme that recurs in many of his works.