FINE ARTS

Filippo Bisagni – Un jardin d’Egypte

by Filippo Bisagni

The installation Un jardin d’Egypte brings together two subjects that are opposite in terms of content and message, but which share similar aspects in terms of visual composition: Marcel Broodthaers’ Un Jardin d’Hiver (1974) and the so-called Egyptian Room in the Villa San Martino, Napoleon’s summer residence during his exile on Elba. What they have in common is a small group of plants arranged in a circle. Broodthaers’ installation displays palm plants that represent a critical reflection on colonialism. The Villa San Martino room displays papyrus plants which represent a nostalgic and apologetic message referring to the Egyptian Campaign. Papyrus or palms That we sow That grow A garden in Egypt ?