Date: 29 August – 2 November 2024
Venue: Kwai Fung Hin Gallery, 01-G04 to G05, G/F, Headquarters Block, Tai Kwun, Central, Hong Kong
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Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery proudly presents “Memento” with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong, a solo exhibition of Italian sculptor Matteo Pugliese, marking his long-awaited return to Hong Kong.
Titled “Memento”, the exhibition gives a fascinating glimpse into two decades of Pugliese’s artistic evolution. Each exhibit unfolds enlightening discoveries from his soul voyage, exploring themes of redemption and resilience, vulnerability and power, individuality and ancestry, faith and rebirth.
Spanning mediums such as bronze, marble, terracotta, ceramics and walnut wood, Matteo Pugliese keeps exploring new frontiers of contemporary sculpture through masterly synthesis of classical traditions and revolutionary concepts in his signature series “Extra Moenia”, “Guardians”, “Beetles,” as well as his latest creations.
Extra Moenia: Warrior of Freedom
Pugliese’s celebrated “Extra Moenia” series features bronze figures emerging from walls in an eternal struggle for liberation – haunting mementos of endurance and free will. The new piece, “A Matter of Trust,” liberates itself from the constraints of walls, hovering in mid-air, surrendering to fate and the unknown. The “Broken” sculpture candidly displays its fractures, embodying both wounds and the premise of rebirth, ushering a transformation from struggle to faith.
Guardians: Silent Protectors
Drawing inspiration from protective totems from diverse cultures, including ancient Chinese warriors and Mayan gods, the “Guardians” symbolize timelessness, evoking universal desires for spiritual protection and home.
The debut “Pachamama” series, named after “Mother Earth” as honored by the indigenous tribes of the Andean highlands in South America, underscores the nurturing essence of nature. Pugliese’s recent work, sculpted in walnut wood, offers a thoughtful reinterpretation of our harmony with nature.
Beetles: Keeper of Joy
The “Beetles” series preserves Pugliese’s gratitude for his memorable Sardinian childhood within jewel-toned ceramic shells, commemorating life’s fleeting yet precious moments of transformation and growth, as well as a reminder of our origins.