Rise

Opening of the exhibition “We show what we (don’t) know” of the HGB Leipzig on 12.10.2023 at the Japanisches Palais of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. Photo: Oliver Killig

“Rise” is a sculpture that draws its inspiration from Nicolas Cordier’s work “Young African” (1607–1612), a marble bust from the sculpture collection of the SKD. Cordier was one of the sculptors of the early modern era who utilized the potential of colored marble to emulate ancient models. The first antique marble catalog of the Dresden Museum from 1733 documents the acquisition of two black busts from the Chigi Collection in Rome, including the preserved head of “Young African.” It was later revealed that the supposedly antique artwork was a modern imitation by Cordier. Inspired by this fragment, a dual sculptural work emerged, using what appears to be black marble arranged vertically and illuminated by light.

Valério de Araújo Silva is a queer artist from Northeast Brazil who lives and works between Leipzig and Berlin. The interdisciplinary artist’s practice is focused on social and political injustice, silencing against bodies who are not conform to gender or racial norms, and intolerance in general. The artist deals with these themes, critically questions their causes and conditions, and exposes networks of relationships.