Fabrizio Plessi. Mariverticali
- Milan

2023

The exhibition “Fabrizio Plessi. Mariverticali” at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, curated by Bruno Corà, Alberto Fiz and Marco Tonelli, with fit-out by Lissoni & Partners, hosts a spectacular site-specific installation. A historical work remodelled for the Sala delle Cariatidi, it is composed of twelve nine-meter-high steel structures, bearing witness to the catastrophic predicament of the world’s oceans in an attempt to hold back the potential threat to their survival.

“To claim that I curated the exhibition project is perhaps a touch excessive. I would rather say that I helped a friend, from a technical and organizational perspective, to moor his long procession of Venetian boats in our city, a few steps from where, just a few centuries ago, other boats used to arrive under the direction of other architects to supply the construction material for our Cathedral.

This landing place in Milan has glorious precedents that arrived from the east of the Po valley. Just consider the cortèges of luxurious boats, perhaps also a Bucentaur, that transported the brides of the Dukes of Milan, Isabella, Beatrice...

Fabrizio is also spurred by "marital" considerations, and the passionate nature of the Venetians is well known - Casanova for all. So while marrying Brescia, he also secretly betroths himself to Milan and chooses the most beautiful place in the city to conclude this contract, the Sala delle Cariatidi.

In the guise of master of ceremonies, it just remains for us to say: Long live the newlyweds!”- Piero Lissoni

Photographer - Petrò Gilberti