Castello di Brolio

Castello di Brolio has been the property of the Ricasolis, one of the oldest aristocratic families in Italy, since 1141. Baudelaire wrote, “Genius is nothing more or less than childhood recaptured at will.” At Castello di Brolio, Sylvie Fleury’s installation of three iridescent magic mushrooms recalls those nibbled on by Alice in Wonderland as she follows the trail of the forever late White Rabbit. They will be installed in the garden at the foot of the medieval castle. A multitude of mediums and forms are present, such as Magdalena Abakanowicz’s use of concrete, glue and wood in the installation Bambini.

Bambini consists of eighty-three sculptures of child figures, originally created in 1998 and 1999 for the outdoor installation at Les Jardins du Palais Royal in Paris. In the garden space, they start to resemble tree trunks or animals. The silhouettes of the children’s headless bodies allow many interpretations: a reflection on WWII, refugees escaping Syria, or protests in America. Abakanowicz gives Bambini multiple identities and universal meanings.