Polylactic acid on stone. 38×26 cm
The conceptualization of this work stems from a contemplation of migration, specifically my own experience as an emigrant from Sicily after nearly twenty years.
The piece embodies “The Gesture,” a defining symbol of Italians and Italian identity abroad, an unnamed, timeless gesture with varied meanings, depending on context.
This gesture is a slang, cause lacks a clear meaning without verbal accompaniment, except in specific regions of Italy. Bruno Munari briefly addresses it in his 1963 “Supplement to the Italian Dictionary,” noting its prevalence in Naples.
This leaded me to an exploration of diatopically marked gestures, localized expressions whose significance is confined to specific areas.
Frequently asked abroad is the question: What does that gesture mean? How is it correctly executed? There’s no definitive answer, and reducing the rich, legitimate folkloric tradition of Italian culture to this gesturality—detached from its still vibrant, localized character—is both racist and indicative of inferiority.
Inverting the gesture is an act of rejecting this perspective, instigating a search for deeper meanings. If “The Gesture” symbolizes Italy and its culture abroad, then reversing it signifies their decline and demise.
Overturning it assumes another meaning: it becomes a “HERE” in this specific place, a geotag for the work itself. It represents a “Hic et nunc,” a here and now, gaining significance given the production process: electronic scanning, 3D processing, 3D printing. Benjamin argued technical reproducibility strips art of authenticity, its “Here and now,” its “Aura”. Yet, by overturning “The Gesture,” manual post-process it, and using a stone base, each piece becomes unique. This reproducible work, achievable only through hardware and software, finds its Aura and purpose in a critical and educational role. It wouldn’t exist without firsthand migration experience, evolving meaning from human conception, particularly the human Gesture instructing the machine. The work exists, generated by a movement, an action, legitimizing its value and uniqueness.