ItaGLIA

2018 – Ongoing

TAGLIA is a sculptural series inspired by one of the most familiar scenes in Italian cities: bicycles left resting on bricks after their wheels have been stolen. Matteo Mandelli transforms this everyday image into a symbolic language. Bicycles, unicycles and tricycles are finished in gold, celebrating the extraordinary cultural, artistic and historical richness of Italy. Yet their wheels—the very elements that allow movement—are removed and replaced with ordinary bricks. This simple substitution changes the meaning of the object entirely. What should represent freedom, progress and movement becomes immobile. The work reflects on a country capable of extraordinary beauty while often limiting its own potential through behaviours, habits and contradictions generated from within. The title