The Italian sculptor Vincenzo De Cotiis inaugurated the Vincenzo De Cotiis Foundation on 19 April 2024 in Venice, at Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, an emblematic 15th-century building located on the Grand Canal. Led by Claudia Rose De Cotiis, the foundation is set to enrich Venice’s contemporary art scene through a complex exhibition programme dedicated to fostering understanding and appreciation of contemporary art and design. The inaugural exhibition, Archaeology of Consciousness Venice, presented in conjunction with La Biennale di Venezia, was installed within the foundation’s new headquarters alongside a selection of De Cotiis’ functional sculptures. The resulting dialogue between the historic architecture of the palazzo and his distinctly contemporary sculptural language creates a fertile tension between memory and present time.
“Archaeology of Consciousness Venice is a summation of profound introspection, expressed through a succession of temporal transitions and through the layers of my subconscious. Each arch articulates a four-dimensional concept through spatial and material means, referring to what I remember or have learned from the past and what I imagine for the future. The arch is an archaic structure, used by countless civilizations both structurally and aesthetically. My works, however, are detached from function and instead gain significance through the experience of those who encounter them as portals toward philosophical understanding and spiritual enlightenment.”
— Vincenzo De Cotiis
“At the Foundation we are surrounded by history while simultaneously anchored in a space dedicated to contemporary art and futuristic expression. Vincenzo and I have always shared a deep love for Venice, and creating this space was a natural response to the city’s call — an authentic extension of ourselves and of everything that makes this place unique. The Vincenzo De Cotiis Foundation is equally a centre for contemporary expression and a sincere gesture of gratitude towards Venice, in recognition of all it has given us over the years.”
— Claudia Rose De Cotiis
www.decotiis.it
Photography by Wichmann + Bedtsen
Words by Andreea Dicianu
Discover the full version of this story in Volume II.