
ALLEGRA HICKS
TI PORTERÒ NEL SANGUE
CURATED BY MARIO CODOGNATO
ALLEGRA HICKS
Church of S. Euno e Giuliano
Piazza Magione – Palermo
May 16th – June 16th, 2024
Piazza Magione – Palermo
May 16th – June 16th, 2024
Palermo, May 2024, Under embargo until 16th May. Within the frame of the XIII Settimana Delle Culture (Week of cultures) festival, on Thursday, May 16th at 6:00 PM, the exhibition “Ti porterò nel sangue” (upon my blood I then will carry you) by Allegra Hicks will be inaugurated in the evocative setting of the Church of S. Euno e Giuliano, in Piazza Magione, Palermo. The project, curated by Mario Codognato and desired by the President of the Association Amici dei musei siciliani, Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, was realized thanks to the collaboration of the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Palermo. “Ti porterò nel sangue” represents another important achievement in Allegra Hicks’ artistic career, already sealed in recent exhibitions hosted at the Baert Gallery in Los Angeles, Palazzo Polignac in Venice, and in Naples at the Church of the Misericordiella. Engaging with the location, the artist utilizes the two levels of the Church to create a narrative founded on the relationship between the Sacred and the Profane, between Life and Death, where Hope and Faith find their place and recognition. Thus, on the first level, Hicks traces a flow of red blood crystallized in an immense drop hanging from one side of the space. In contrast and opposition, a more ethereal image of the same drop is revealed in the light, displaying its diaphanous and spectral sign that attracts the viewer’s gaze to absorb it, to suck it into an indefinable space. The drop reiterates not only the symbol but also the material and tangible reconstruction of the fluidity and continuous transformation of things and existence, the fragility of human relationships. In the Church’s hypogeum area, the artist continues her narrative by exposing the immense act of human faith, elevating it to a concrete anthropological symbol through the realization of Ex-Votos. For the 36 niches present in the crypt, Hicks places an equal number of works: 18 canvases representing organs – eyes, heart, intestine, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, etc. – actual elements that fulfill the role of acts of prayer. Attached to them, through a subtle red thread 18 Ex-Votos representing the same organs. Crystallized in a resin casing with the deliberate intent of stopping the action in time, the works thus become the symbol of a grace, of a request granted, revealing the transition from an act in progress to an accomplished fact. “Presenting ‘Ti porterò nel sangue’ in Palermo after having shown a part of this exhibition in Naples, is an incredible emotion for me. I was deeply struck by the space of the Church of S. Euno e Giuliano, with its severe yet pure aura, and especially by its crypt, which further inspired my creation. The new works enrich this exhibition with an even more intimate dimension, almost like a moment of devotion. “Living in Naples, I am immersed in this world where religiosity and paganism coexist, which deeply fascinates me.”declares the artist”The canvases thus represent prayers, while the resins, the Ex-Votos, are the crystallization of these prayers, the fulfillment of supplications” Like an alchemist, the artist merges drawings and materials, colors and objects into a unique whole, emerging as something new and deliberately unclassifiable into a precise definition, just like a liquid substance in appearance and intention, even when solid.








ALLEGRA HICKS
TI PORTERÒ NEL SANGUE PALERMO
CURATED BY MARIO CODOGNATO
ALLEGRA HICKS
Church of S. Euno e Giuliano
Piazza Magione – Palermo
May 16th – June 16th, 2024
Piazza Magione – Palermo
May 16th – June 16th, 2024
Palermo, May 2024, Under embargo until 16th May. Within the frame of the XIII Settimana Delle Culture (Week of cultures) festival, on Thursday, May 16th at 6:00 PM, the exhibition “Ti porterò nel sangue” (upon my blood I then will carry you) by Allegra Hicks will be inaugurated in the evocative setting of the Church of S. Euno e Giuliano, in Piazza Magione, Palermo. The project, curated by Mario Codognato and desired by the President of the Association Amici dei musei siciliani, Bernardo Tortorici di Raffadali, was realized thanks to the collaboration of the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Palermo. “Ti porterò nel sangue” represents another important achievement in Allegra Hicks’ artistic career, already sealed in recent exhibitions hosted at the Baert Gallery in Los Angeles, Palazzo Polignac in Venice, and in Naples at the Church of the Misericordiella. Engaging with the location, the artist utilizes the two levels of the Church to create a narrative founded on the relationship between the Sacred and the Profane, between Life and Death, where Hope and Faith find their place and recognition. Thus, on the first level, Hicks traces a flow of red blood crystallized in an immense drop hanging from one side of the space. In contrast and opposition, a more ethereal image of the same drop is revealed in the light, displaying its diaphanous and spectral sign that attracts the viewer’s gaze to absorb it, to suck it into an indefinable space. The drop reiterates not only the symbol but also the material and tangible reconstruction of the fluidity and continuous transformation of things and existence, the fragility of human relationships. In the Church’s hypogeum area, the artist continues her narrative by exposing the immense act of human faith, elevating it to a concrete anthropological symbol through the realization of Ex-Votos. For the 36 niches present in the crypt, Hicks places an equal number of works: 18 canvases representing organs – eyes, heart, intestine, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, etc. – actual elements that fulfill the role of acts of prayer. Attached to them, through a subtle red thread 18 Ex-Votos representing the same organs. Crystallized in a resin casing with the deliberate intent of stopping the action in time, the works thus become the symbol of a grace, of a request granted, revealing the transition from an act in progress to an accomplished fact. “Presenting ‘Ti porterò nel sangue’ in Palermo after having shown a part of this exhibition in Naples, is an incredible emotion for me. I was deeply struck by the space of the Church of S. Euno e Giuliano, with its severe yet pure aura, and especially by its crypt, which further inspired my creation. The new works enrich this exhibition with an even more intimate dimension, almost like a moment of devotion. “Living in Naples, I am immersed in this world where religiosity and paganism coexist, which deeply fascinates me.”declares the artist”The canvases thus represent prayers, while the resins, the Ex-Votos, are the crystallization of these prayers, the fulfillment of supplications” Like an alchemist, the artist merges drawings and materials, colors and objects into a unique whole, emerging as something new and deliberately unclassifiable into a precise definition, just like a liquid substance in appearance and intention, even when solid.
In the last decade, Allegra Hicks’ work has focused on unique pieces that explore the inseparable relationship between art and design. Focusing on the origin of her painting, Allegra’s new works weave the landscape of an inner and outer “human nature.” Allegra presented her first tapestry collection at the Giustini Stagetti Gallery in Rome in 2017. In 2018, her exhibition at the Gallerie Riunite in Naples presented a series of paintings titled “Mapping the Soul,” which later moved to the Italian Institute of Culture in London. Her work titled “The Miracle” contributes to the contemporary art collection of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, curated by Mario Codognato, and has been on display in Naples since 2019. In December 2021, she held an exhibition of ink on canvas at the Bert Gallery in Los Angeles. In September 2022, during the Glass Week in Venice, she inaugurated an exhibition in the warehouse of Palazzo Polignac. The piece, titled Inside Outside II, is a 63-square-meter embroidery work with glass beads on canvas. In October 2022, she participated in CULT during EDIT-Naples with a tapestry titled “Divination” in silk, exhibited in the Sacristy of the Church of SS Filippo and Giacomo. On September 16th, 2023, she inaugurated the exhibition “Ti porterò nel Sangue” at the SMAAVE contemporary art center in Naples. Allegra Hicks works between London and Naples.
The Settimana delle Culture was born from a project by Gabriella Renier Filippone, supported by the Insieme per Palermo Committee formed in October 2012 to support Palermo’s candidacy as European Capital of Culture. Subsequently, the Committee became the Settimana delle Culture association. Since 2013, the association has organized eleven editions of the Settimana delle Culture Festival, along with numerous other events, in synergy with public and private institutions, aimed at promoting players operating in the artistic field and increasing the enjoyment of cultural heritage by citizens and tourists, with particular attention to the most disadvantaged categories and to the multiculturalism strongly present in Palermo’s community. Thousands of events have animated and revitalized the entire territory, involving institutions, museums, city sites, associations, public and private entities that have produced theatrical performances, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, literary walks, guided tours, screenings, literary events, etc. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, has awarded a medal as a representative prize to numerous editions of the event. The Settimana delle Culture association, in collaboration with Amici dei musei Siciliani, is also committed to the safeguarding of the artistic-monumental heritage of our city.
Built between 1651 and 1658, at the initiative of the Confraternity of Sedan Chair Bearers (or vastasi di cinga, the porters who between the 13th and 18th centuries transported clients on seats with poles, sometimes closed or covered), it gradually fell into ruin after the advent of modern means of transport and the disappearance, therefore, of the so-called “flying chairs.” The bombings of ’43 almost completely destroyed it. Abandoned and used for different purposes, it was forgotten until 2006, when its recovery began, which concluded in 2017 with the reopening and the exhibition of an installation by the Egyptian artist Wael Shawky. The church has hosted various cultural events including Manifesta 2018, Mediterranean Archipelago 2019, and I-design 2021.