The new altar in white onyx is made up of two marble slabs which hold a multitude of male and female heads, pagan and Christian faces that remind us of characters from the classical imagination but also relics and emblems of sacredness.
The Ambone, the second work, instead presents itself with particularly simple, essential forms; a parallelepiped made of labradorite stone, chosen for its metallic, blue, golden reflections and for its inner light.
"The pulpit for the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Gallarate - declares Claudio Parmiggiani -, in its form it relies solely on its absolute function. Messenger of the Word. No image, only the Word as divine light, only the splendor of matter, only light as divine Word. Light suggested by sudden flashes of gold and blue which enliven and animate the surface of the pulpit. The Word is inside the matter”.
The whole is completed by the new flooring of the presbytery, made of light onyx which inserts the architectural space of the church between the Altar and the Ambone, extending its architectural coherence.
If the goal was to create a link between spiritual research and artistic research, we must say that the result has been achieved, even if it remains to be assessed which of the two researches has had the upper hand.
Undoubtedly the artistic language used appears to us to be highly communicative and incisive, while the sacred one is a little further away and much more complex to interpret due to the spiritual unease it manages to provoke.
Biographical notes of the artist
Claudio Parmiggiani (Luzzara 1945) is one of the main Italian and international artistic figures of the post-war period. Her poetics takes a stand against today's fragmentation and seeks the creation of a timeless work. Her works have a strong contemplative and spiritual character.
He boasts numerous solo exhibitions all over the world: Tokyo, London, Venice, New York, Paris, Innsbruck, Marseille, Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona, Maastricht, Boston, Frankfurt, Zurich, Brussels.
