NOVARA  

TEATRO COCCIA
TEATRO DI TRADIZIONE
Via Fratelli Rosselli 47
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HELIDON XHIXHA

 


 

 

critical text by Silvia Scagliotti Turri

Helidon Xhixha, seduced by the formal elegance and the spiritual charm of oriental culture and art, chose to relate to it with a monumental commemorative sculpture. The background of this sculpture is in mirror polished steel, a ductile and resistant material, like the moulded, extroflexed figure that comes out of it gracefully, with dynamic, stylised, mimetic results. At first sight the viewers are struck by the intense light coming from the reflecting surface, then they gradually begin to distinguish the shaped form, pressure soldered and fire-varnished with primary colours, and finally their eyes meet a chiaroscuro effect that leads into the shadow, a hidden place that arouses curiosity and mystery.

In the Sinhalese theatre of shadows , the emotional charge of the show is enhanced by the rhythmical moves of animated puppets. Real protagonists of the scene, these puppets are characterized by a painted silhouette whose traits are delicate and stylised. In this work we can retrace a modern reference to figurative art, strengthened by a precise planning. It doesn't leave out the subtly seductive charm of a surface reflecting all the things that surround it, viewer included, who becomes the protagonist of a new scene, never seen before. As a protagonist of the theatre in the theatre, this work goes beyond the boundaries of art, evoking old oriental forms of theatre that belong to the collective memory.

TEATRO COCCIA

MARIONETTE CINGALESI

Three Sinhalese puppets , engraved and painted parchment, 19 th –20 th century, cm.52,5 x 48

Coming from the Musei Civici, this work once belonged to count Marco Caccia di Romentino's collection. He was member of the Curatorial Group of the Museums and President of the Coccia Theatre, and he donated it in 1962 to the Theatre Museum. It was exhibited for the first time in the Coccia Theatre's foyer. These figures in painted parchment made for the Sinhalese theatre of shadows, presumably based on Indian epic, are quite realistic notwithstanding their refined stylization and their elegant colours. On a backlit screen, with the rhythm of drums following their moves, they project their fantastic, highly imaginative silhouette, ready to take several evocative values, connecting the real and the spiritual world.

HELIDON XHIXHA

Helidon Xhixha born in Durazzo in 1970, comes from a family of artists. He graduated in 1999 from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan and he refined his sculptural techniques at Kingston University in London. His works are part of a national and international collections. He lives and works in Novara.
xhart@isys.it

Light and shade,
mixed technique on steel, cm.350x250x100, 2003