PROJECT ROOM #11 - Caroline Mesquita | La Casa dell'Eremita sul Naviglio at Fondazione Pomodoro

PROJECT ROOM #11
#carolinemesquita | La Casa dell'Eremita sul Naviglio

curated by Cloé Perrone

18 September – 31 October 2019
Press preview: Tuesday 17 September 2019, 10.00 am

Opening: Tuesday 17 September 2019, 6.30 pm

The exhibition La Casa dell'Eremita sul Naviglio (18 September- 31 October 2019) by #carolinemesquita (1989, Brest) opens the second appointment of the cycle PROJECT ROOM 2019, occasion to convey the research and the production of artists under 40 who investigate sculpture in an innovative way.

For the 2019 cycle the guest curator Cloé Perrone choose three young and international female artists who use sculpture within a multidisciplinary practice, expanding the definition itself: Sophia al-Maria, #carolinemesquita and Rebecca Ackroyd.

Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro in collaboration with Fondazione del Giudice, Nola (Naples), gave Mesquita the opportunity to produce a new majestic sculpture using stone, a new material in her artistic practice.

The installation is made-up of beola chiara – ancient stone of Lombardy that covers the whole surface of #fondazionearnaldopomodoro – and of copper and brass objects, carefully selected by the artist, some coming from Fonderia Nolana del Giudice di Nola (Naples) where the artwork was produced.

The show represents the imaginary tale of an hermit who inhabited a stone hut, survived over time and today exhibited at the Foundation.
The story narrates that the city expanded around the shelter, protecting this important symbol of an alternative way of living, based on isolation and outside conventional norms. La Casa dell'Eremita sul Naviglio (The Hermit’s House on the Canal) becomes the metaphor of way of life no longer accepted in today’s society: an existence conducted outside the logic of the system according to autonomous rules.

La Casa dell’Eremita sul Naviglio

"La Casa dell’Eremita sul Naviglio" (The Hermit’s House on the Canal) is an old stone structure that still stands in its original form and location today as an emblem of the ascetic life. In the twentieth century, during a period of great expansion, the City of Milan developed the neighbourhood, erecting “le case di ringhiera”, public housing for the working class.

The City received a number of letters from citizens asking that special attention be accorded this symbolic refuge and that a study be made as to how best to conserve the site. The architect in charge of this task played a fundamental role, researching the life of the hermit to understand his habits and the reasons for his radical choice of lifestyle. All the material he gathered, including interviews with neighbours about the hermit, is available to the public today.

Old stories mention a man, or sometimes a woman, who decided to live outside society. This unusual character chose to set up home next to a beautiful river, where the abundance of fish allowed the hermit to sustain her/himself without contact with others. It is impossible to determine when the hut was built. Two main hypotheses still prevail. The first declares that the hermit lived there long before the Navigli were dug, when the countryside was completely isolated. The second version, more realist than poetic, describes a monk who decided to live as a hermit and to establish his new life next to a source of water while Milan was expanding. He/she built the house with ordinary stones, such as can be found in old religious sites or abandoned farms. Most probably the stones were sourced nearby, then collected and transported by the hermit him/herself. The floor, made with the same materials, blocked the lush vegetation and also served as a working space. The different elements making up the hut are also a testament to the ingeniousness of the hermit: the water system allowed him/her to collect rainwater efficiently with a very simple technique, and the animal traps suggest an effective hunting strategy. Other elements cannot be directly related to his or her labours: the door, the cups, forks and spoons and several metal objects and several metal objects — objects whose original value and purpose is now lost. These objects include brass, copper and silver elements that were collected and repurposed by the hermit, recycled items which he/she used to decorate the house, suggesting an artistic personality. On the top of the roof, the chimney seems as though could still function, but the existence of a fireplace has never been confirmed, as the door has never been opened.

The shelter’s oral history is full of mysteries and superstitious tales. Its magical dimension has persisted through the centuries without any trespasser attempting to open the golden door, as its reputation of being the tomb of a hermit makes the site sacred. As in any oral narratives, the role of the hermit has been mystified. He/she has been described as a melancholic poet, an altruistic farmer, a snobbish intellectual or a powerful heretic, but the only certainty is that this incredible person lived alone, in this house built alone, and which became his/her tomb.

The city expanded around the shelter, protecting this important symbol of an alternative way of living. The preservation of the site intends to safeguard a different standard of life, reminding us that other models are available and should not be dismissed out of hand. The hermit is the symbol of the outcast and retreat. He/she decided to live outside conventional norms, to withdraw from the logic of society and to foster another mode of existence. A way of life that symbolises resistance and a deep conviction in one’s personal path.

PROJECT ROOM #11
Caroline Mesquita
La Casa dell'Eremita sul Naviglio

Curated by Cloé Perrone
18 September – 31 October 2019

Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro via Vigevano 9 – 20144 Milano