Efeso II

A horizontal slab of white Carrara marble weighing over 1,500 pounds is suspended by steel cables, exposing a fissure on one side of the stone. Efeso II is the second version of a work whose title refers to Ephesus: the ancient Roman and Hellenistic city in modern-day Turkey, where Luciano Fabro traveled. Marble from Italy was chosen for its natural properties and use in classical art and architecture, which flourished in cities like Ephesus. The suspension of the marble confers a certain lightness to the heavy stone. The top face is highly polished and reflects light, mirroring the sky. The bottom surface is rough and untreated; it retains visible traces of its natural materiality. The fissure on the side indicates a line connecting sky and land, air and earth. The work expresses Fabro’s interest in redefining the traditional tenets of sculpture, such as an exploration of nature and culture, lightness and weight, gravity and suspension. The use of steel cables and dis- parate treatments of the stone remind us of archaeological excavation and construction past and present. Efeso II thus resonates with tensions between history and contemporaneity as well as cultural heritage and development.