One of the unquestioned protagonists among contemporary Italian artists and sculptors today is Mimmo Paladino. The work the artist has donated to the Hospice holds all the inherent visual impact that makes Paladino’s work immediately recognisable: this small figure encloses an enigma, almost “losing” its identity in its fusion between head and helmet. Paladino’s piece is extremely pictorial – almost ethereal; it seems weightless and the pose of the head itself adds to this impression of levity. The mysteries of existence are enclosed untouched within this mask, as if for centuries.