Italian sculptor Vincenzo De Cotiis has announced the inauguration of his eponymous foundation in Venice. Coinciding with the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, the Vincenzo de Cotiis Foundation will open on April 19th with the exhibition “Archaeology of Consciousness Venice.” The Foundation is housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, situated on the banks of the Grand Canal in Venice.
The inaugural exhibition features three monumental arches by De Cotiis that embody the past, present, and future. These arches will be on view in the courtyard until November 24th and are intended as an homage to the ancient Venetian architecture. The installation will be visible from the Grand Canal through the Palazzo’s main water door.
“The arch is an old structure, one that has served countless civilizations both structurally and aesthetically,” De Cotiis said. “My artworks, however, stand removed from function, and instead offer significant value to those who experience them as portals to philosophical understanding and spiritual enlightenment.”
“Vincenzo and I have felt a deep love for Venice all our lives, and it was important to respond to its call, creating a space that is an authentic extension of ourselves and of everything that makes this city unique,” said Claudia Rose De Cotiis, president of the Vincenzo De Cotiis Foundation.
In Venice, several major art institutions have emerged in recent years. Notably, in 2021, Anish Kapoor began to transform the Palazzo Manfrin in the heart of the Jewish quarter into his project space. And, also during the Venice Biennale Berggruen Arts & Culture will be inaugurating its new space at Palazzo Diedo with site-specific commissions by 11 internationally acclaimed artists and a show of Rhea Dillon, in collaboration with New York institution The Kitchen.
