Season 4

Nimbus Limbus Omnibus is the title of the vast exhibition project conceived by Gelitin/Gelatin for FOROF and curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi. The title encapsulates the essence of the exhibition, closely linked to the history and spirit of the place, and developed around the theme of “freedom,” central to the artists' poetics. The project directly recalls the “manumissio,” the rite of liberation of slaves in ancient Rome, which took place precisely in the eastern apse of the Basilica Ulpia (2nd century A.D.), the remains of which can be seen today in the underground spaces of FOROF.

Gelitin/Gelatin have conceived a monumental installation, as a kind of ritual or procession, inspired by the enigmatic and suggestive title, which seems to evoke an ancient magical formula or ritual, which also ideally recalls the phrase uttered by the magistrate precisely during the “manumissio.” The exhibition thus offers a reflection on the theme of “liberation,” understood as the passage from one state to another.

The exhibition is designed as a unique installation, divided into two cores, transforming the FOROF hypogeum. The first part consists of a multitude of objects, sculptures, and props created by the artists over the course of 25 years, used in their exhibitions and performances, and set up as a large repository or archive of memory, evoking Roman catacombs. The visitor descending into the underground discovers a pathway populated by dozens and dozens of sculptures, made from recycled materials, assemblages, collages, small plastiline paintings, polystyrene columns, old furniture dismantled and reused, candlesticks, mirrors, ceramic vases, and plaster sculptures.

The result is an enormous accumulation that transforms each object into part of a more articulated work and introduces the archaeological space proper, where, in dialogue with the remains of the pavement of the Basilica Ulpia, a number of sculptures made in 2019 and presented for the first time in Italy are on display. This is a series of large busts that, instead of showing faces, feature two identical napes that are reflected in each other. This intense reference to classical Roman sculpture subverts the traditional concept of portrait, offering a powerfully psychological vision that further delves into the themes of positive/negative, inside/outside, original/copy, capturing the essence of continuous transformation, in a “nimbus limbus omnibus.”