Sean Scully delivers sermon of stripes at Venetian church
The Irish-born painter and printmaker will transform every corner of the 16th-century San Giorgio Maggiore church with new paintings, sculptures and drawings during the Venice Biennale
Unstoppable, the excellent BBC documentary on Sean Scully that aired in April, charts the Irish-born abstract artist’s rag to riches rise, his outsider status in art world, his complex private life and his Catholic roots. Not since his primary school days at a convent in London, will the 73-year-old have found himself so regularly in front of the altar as he does next month, with the opening of a solo exhibition, entitled ‘Human’, at San Giorgio Maggiore church during the 58th Venice Biennale.
New sculptures, paintings, drawings, and watercolours inspired by the monks, their vast collection of manuscripts and the famous church itself (designed by Andrea Palladio in 1575, it is one of the city’s finest) will go on show. They occupy every nook and cranny; Opulent Ascension is a ten-metre high sculpture of stacked frames wrapped in felt, which rises up through the central dome. In the choir behind the altar sits Scully’s vast manuscript of watercolours, while eight paintings from his abstract Landline collection form a procession to the water outside.
‘In many of my painting there is a ladder-like motif,’ says the artist, who has often claimed his work can serve as a conduit between the physical world and the spiritual one. Raised a Catholic, the ecclesiastical location of the show is loaded, he says, ‘But we have had history, so everything is loaded, isn’t it? I’m not a purist. I don’t see the materialism of the church, the robes and opulence, as a contradiction.’ Additional works are scattered throughout the island’s gardens and the church’s adjoining buildings. Among them is a candelabra that holds one giant candle and a triptych entitled Madonna of his son and fourth wife. ‘It’s a very atmospheric space; the works create a powerful sense of silence,’ says Scully, who has also included the monks in his production. As the island’s only residents, they are cooking a dinner of their homegrown produce on the opening night.
INFORMATION
‘Human’ is on view 11 May – 13 October. For more information, visit Sean Scully’s website
ADDRESS
Church of San Giorgio Maggiore
30133 Venice
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Emma O'Kelly is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. She joined the magazine on issue 4 as news editor and since since then has worked in full and part time roles across many editorial departments. She is a freelance journalist based in London and works for a range of titles from Condé Nast Traveller to The Telegraph. She is currently working on a book about Scandinavian sauna culture and is renovating a mid century house in the Italian Lakes.
-
Step inside Precious Okoyomon’s post-apocalyptic forest in Madrid
In Madrid, Precious Okoyomon and Hans Ulrich Obrist reconvene for Obrist’s annual site-specific curation for Fundación Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
By Will Jennings Published
-
Fried chicken fever? Coqodaq knows how to do it
Devoted disciples of Korean fried chicken can worship at Manhattan’s Coqodaq, designed by the Rockwell Group
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
H Moser’s smoked salmon watch dial is deliciously deep
The new H Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Calendar Smoked Salmon features a brushed dial
By Thor Svaboe Published
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London
‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Oozing, squidgy, erupting forms come alive at Hayward Gallery
‘When Forms Come Alive: Sixty Years of Restless Sculpture’ at Hayward Gallery, London, is a group show full of twists and turns
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Triennale Milano exhibition spotlights contemporary Italian art
The latest Triennale Milano exhibition, ‘Italian Painting Today’, is a showcase of artworks from the last three years
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Walls, Windows and Blood: Catherine Opie in Naples
Catherine Opie's new exhibition ‘Walls, Windows and Blood’ is now on view at Thomas Dane Gallery, Naples
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
New glass sculpture creates a verdant wonderland at Apple’s Cupertino HQ
‘Mirage’ at Apple Park is the work of Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson, a shimmering array of glass columns that snakes through the grounds of the company’s monumental HQ
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Man Ray’s sculptures go on show in New York
‘Man Ray: Other Objects’ opens at Luxembourg + Co, New York, revealing their author’s ‘artistic revolution’
By Hannah Silver Published
-
The best London art exhibitions to see now
Your guide to the best London art exhibitions, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Erwin Wurm’s pop-coloured fantasy land at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
In Erwin Wurm’s first UK museum show, ‘Trap of the Truth’, the artist transforms Yorkshire Sculpture Park into a slightly warped wonderland (10 June 2023 – 28 April 2024)
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published