Palo Gallery (New York) is pleased to present Spoglia, a solo exhibition of 14 new sculptures made of stone, bronze and ceramic by British artist Tancredi di Carcaci. This body of work explores the psychological and cultural dimensions of contemporary idolatry through a synthesis of abstraction and figuration, positioning material and form as vessels of both personal and collective meaning.
At the heart of di Carcaci’s practice lies a search for balance, between conscious analysis and unconscious intuition, between symbolic suggestion and representational clarity. Each piece operates as both an object of contemplation and a site of emotional resonance, evoking a feeling that transcends language: a sense of completeness, of something more than the sum of its parts. Set against the backdrop of an increasingly polarized cultural landscape, the exhibition reflects on the evolving nature of belief. As traditional religious structures wane, new forms of worship have emerged, often centered around political figures, celebrities, wealth, and cultural institutions. These contemporary idols, both revered and contested, occupy a space that is at once sacred and profane, emblematic of the ideological tensions shaping our era.
Inspired by the historical practice of Spogila in which victorious parties would loot cultures and bring artwork back to their own nation, Di Carcaci delves into the implications of repurposing fragments of another culture and digesting it into another. Historical moments rife with Spoglia often align with historical schisms such as the counter reformation, the sack of Rome or the crusades. Within our own moment of extreme division, di Carcaci looks back to this historical practice of Spoglia and considers its meaning implications in the 21st century.
In the context of contemporary art, this exhibition delves into the complex and often contradictory relationship between material and sentimental value. Through his works, di Carcaci challenges conventional ideas of worth, exploring the ambiguous space between the monetary value of art and its more abstract, emotional significance. The exhibition’s title, meaning "spoils" in Italian, suggests not only the material rewards of war, such as power or currency, but also evokes imagery of decay and destruction: battlefields, ruins, and the remains of civilizations. His work shifts between these extremes, inviting the viewer to reflect on both the human toll of conflict and the cyclical nature of life and death.
Carcaci’s antique references go beyond inspiration and into the physical for works such as EBITDA, in which the artist has used thousands of ancient Roman coins to create new contemporary bronze panels. This act of reconstruction becomes a metaphor for the way ideals are dismantled, recycled, and reconfigured to fit new narratives. Whereas, in the sculpture Hypnos, the artist was able to secure a fragment of King Richard II’s tombstone and meld it with one of his iconic bronze heads. Such moments stuck between times invites viewers to consider how meaning is made, unmade, and remade; objects, like ideologies, carry forward the weight of history while signaling the possibilities of transformation.
Di Carcaci’s approach is layered and multifaceted, avoiding simple moral or religious interpretations in favor of more open-ended explorations. Works may initially suggest Christian iconography, yet upon closer inspection, they resist a fixed context, offering instead a universal, anonymous presence that invites personal projection. This engagement with ambiguity extends to the physicality of his sculptures that are simultaneously fixed yet ever changing in their interpretation. Through this constant recontextualization, di Carcaci encourages the viewer to become an active participant in the interpretation, acknowledging the fluidity and messiness of lived experience. The artist embraces the uncertainty of meaning, acknowledging that the true value of his work lies not in clear explanations or definitive answers, but in the emotional resonance and subjective experience it evokes.
Please join Palo Gallery and the artist for a celebratory opening reception on Wednesday, 14 May 2025, from 6PM to 8PM at 30 Bond Street in New York City.
