Robilant+Voena is pleased to announce our first solo exhibition of works by Sergio Roger, Mnemosyne’s Delay. This exhibition is the Catalan artist’s first solo show in the United States and presents a selection of new sculptures. It brings together examples of Roger’s signature textile works inspired by the art and architecture of ancient civilisations, here focusing on Classical busts of the Graeco-Roman era. Through his beguiling sculptures, Roger evokes the vibrance and mystery of ancient cultures, inviting the viewer to re-engage with their magic and mythology.
In this exhibition, Roger presents a selection of new textile sculptures, hand-stitched using traditional craft techniques, and incorporating fabrics such as raw silk, and 19th-century linen carefully sourced by the artist. The main body of the exhibition is composed of ten busts, on public display for the first time, arranged on plinths of various heights, evoking a museum display of ancient sculpture. The heads represented include mythological figures such as Jupiter and Hygeia, and historical personalities such as Emperors Hadrian and Lucius Verus. With each stitch and expressive detail, Roger creates characterful, vibrant depictions of these ancient figures, breathing fresh life into timeless forms. In this way, he encourages the viewer to reconsider fixed ideas concerning ancient civilisations, not to be thought of as dead and distant entities, but as vibrant societies whose art and culture transcend the centuries.
Contrasting these quirky heads, the second part of the exhibition comprises a single, large textile sculpture of Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. The giant faceless head, lying on the floor on its side, represents the mystery and ritualistic nature of ancient religions. With a powerful and eerie presence, this impressive work juxtaposes the neat arrangement of sculpture busts in the exhibition, inviting the viewer to engage not just on an intellectual level, but also spiritually and emotionally.
Together, the artworks in the exhibition demonstrate Sergio Roger’s innovative and masterful fabrication using textiles, while also presenting a profound experience through which the visitor can reimagine the civilisations of ancient times.
