Title of the work:

Souvenir

In July 2023, a large replica of the Madonnina — a project I conceived and designed — was meant to appear in the Darsena. As if Milan had woken up submerged, swept away by water, just like many areas around the world currently affected by climate change or human neglect of the environment.

This installation was intended to raise funds for a humanitarian organization helping people — especially children — who were victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan.

Two days before the opening, with everything already produced, Monsignor Borgonovo, the Archpriest of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, imposed an absurd veto: the figure of the Madonnina must not be commercialized.

Ironically, on the very days the installation was supposed to take place, a violent storm struck Milan, bringing the city to its knees.

All efforts to convince Borgonovo failed, despite pointing out that his refusal meant tens of thousands of euros would no longer reach the children in Pakistan.

“No commercialization,” says Borgonovo — yet the shops he oversees reproduce the Madonnina on perfumes, trinkets, even alcohol. So I decided to act: I purchased a Madonnina statue produced by the very institution he directs. Made of bronze, it cost €790 (so much for “not merchandise”). On September 8th, the day celebrating the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, I immersed myself in the Darsena and made the statue rise from the waters. Every newspaper talked about it, and many published an open letter I wrote to Borgonovo.

I was fined, and the statue was removed. A few days later, I retrieved the souvenir from the city police. To highlight that the only one truly commercializing the image of the Madonnina is Borgonovo himself, I bought a series of souvenirs from the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo shop. I reworked them and created a series aptly named: Souvenir — original installations, both in limited and open editions, that tell this story and aim to spark reflection on the idea of ownership, on climate change, and on Milan.

All of this was made possible with the support of Pop House Gallery, whom I thank for believing in the project.

Technical specifications:

• Milan, 2023
• 50x70 cm
• Print: Fine Art

This work was donated by SPUCCHES FABRIZIO.

For this charitable initiative, Memorabid is responsible for collecting pre-auction bids.

The final closing of the lot will take place during the event on Monday, November 3rd, at 6:30 PM in the Salone d'Onore at Triennale Milano.

At the end of the pre-auction, the highest bid received for each lot will constitute the starting bid for the in-person event. If there are no further bids, the pre-auction winner will definitively win the lot.

Pre-auction winners will receive an email inviting them to raise a maximum bid, which will be carried forward to the auction on November 3rd to protect the interests of the online pre-auction participant.

Winners of the online pre-auction will also be offered the opportunity to defend their bid by participating remotely at the November 3rd event, via the telephone auction mechanism directly through the CAF Association.