Prometeo

Since 1968, the Italian sculptor Luciano Fabro has been making poetic sculptures and installations that focus on meaningful combinations of materials, craftsmanship and the creation of associative forms. The combination of materials in Prometeo refers both to modern times and to antiquity.The palisade of surveyor’s poles and levelling rods rests on eight marble columns which, when viewed from above, describe a triangle and a pentagon. Despite this geometric floor plan, the work as a whole looks random and incomprehensible. However, the title ‘Prometeo’ and the year of creation are a significant combination. The installation commemorates the Chernobyl disaster (1986) and recalls the story of Prometheus, who stole the fire of heaven for mankind and had to pay for his audacious deed with terrible torments. In this work, Fabro makes the link between the stolen mythological fire and the all-destructive fire of our own times.