Liliana Moro, The Way Out Is Through the Eyes

Discover the law of the pack within Liliana Moro's sculptural group

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

A dog with raised ears points its muzzle to the left, attracted by something...

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

Still on all fours he stands to the side and observes, with a wise and almost human-like expression, the dramatic struggle for supremacy that is taking place in the herd.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

The fifth Argentinian Dogo lies on the floor, knocked down or perhaps lifeless.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

In the 2005 installation Underdog, the artist Liliana Moro faces the space and composes it with a simple gesture, placing five bronze sculptures.

A “sculptural group” that recalls the tradition of classical sculpture, skilfully controlling the orchestration of volumes of individual sculptures, dynamism, plurality of the group and, above all, the idea of narration.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

The subjects, however, unlike the classic reference, are not heroes, historical or mythological figures. They are simply animals. A pack of five life-sized Argentinian Dogos.

In this case, the use of animals as a significant metaphor for man, leads us to reflect on the meaning of conflict, oppression and death. The artist stages a raw image.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

The original context in which the installation had been originally set up, the Emi Fontana Gallery in Milan, was bare and minimal, thus supporting a condition of neutrality which highlighted the material solidity of the figures that defined their deepest instincts.

Almost requesting the visitor to tiptoe to the middle of the pack.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

In this case, the use of animals as a significant metaphor for man, leads us to reflect on the meaning of conflict, oppression and death.

The artist stages a raw image, which tunes perfectly with the other artworks shown in the Sala della Guerra (War Room).

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

“It is no longer a question of stopping on the surface or going deeper but of simply walking, choosing the direction... The way out is through the eyes”. Liliana Moro

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

Liliana Moro was born in 1961 in Milan, where she lives and works. Figurative artist, with a clear calling for image and story. In 1989, together with other artists, she founded the Spazio di Via Lazzaro Palazzi in Milan which then closed in 1993.

Discerning the interactive potential of a space, shrinking it, magnifying it or overturning its meaning and nature, is one of her most emblematic abilities.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

Liliana Moro expresses herself by designing environmental works which integrate drawings, collages, sculptures, theatrical projects and sound installations.

Underdog (2005) by Liliana MoroLa Galleria Nazionale

One of the most relevant themes in Liliana Moro's research is the political dimension which does not translate into an illustration of contents, but concerns the relationship with the recipients, for example by placing her work on the ground, implicitly asking the viewer to crouch in order to see.

Liliana Moro
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