Eva Marisaldi

Galleria S.A.L.E.S., Rome
Through December 2

Eva Marisaldi recently took her inspiration from cinema. For her Lieto Fine exhibition at MART in Trento she embroidered cushions with stills from the final scenes of well-known films – including Hollywood Party, Midnight Cowboy, Suspiria, Scarface – then laid them on the ground in a geometric pattern. Perhaps it was this work that provided the inspiration for her latest solo show in Rome. Here, Marisaldi constructed a little “theater” in which two lovers meet and fall in love in Rome, the city of Baroque fountains.

The exhibition revolves around two works that, although independent, form a whole. The first is a series of plaster bas-reliefs, entitled Senza fine, which, displayed around the gallery walls, recount the story of a meeting between two lovers. Engaging the spectator, the second is an installation, entitled Roma, of a rather improbable baroque iron fountain. Steel pearls spurt forth from the fountain and fall onto bells, producing an infinite variety of melodies. Around the fountain little sofas, covered with pastel-colored cushions, are arranged to evoke the atmosphere of a Roman villa.

The handmade plaster works, the multicolored cushions, even the fountain itself epitomize the manual aspect of Marisaldi’s work. Developing over time, this element has produced a series of pieces that are linked by one distinguishing feature: they never have the perfect finish of industrial objects. This is an aspect of which there are also traces in the tunes that ring out through the air from the fountain. At times the fruit of the artist’s creativity, they are “imitations” of music box refrains.

At others they are well-known tracks: the chorus of I feel love by Donna Summer, and the famous opening guitar riff from Rolling Stones classic Satisfaction. The very sounds of the installation evoke sentiment and passion, perfectly encapsulated in these two diametrically opposed songs: on the one hand Summer’s romantic melody, on the other the Stones’ strongly erotic riff.




Angelo Capasso
Translation by Rosalind Furness