» Past exhibitions » Warten auf Sol Invictus

Warten auf Sol Invictus

Alberto Raiteri | Alessia Cocca | Andreco | Ango The Meek Dead | Claudio Parentela | Cristina Pancini | Elena Armellini | Exiff | Francesco Bancheri | Francesco D’Isa | Irina Novarese | Lys Lydia Selimalhigazi | Luiza LaPupazza | Martha Sklodowska | Silvio Streddi

curator Luisa Catucci

11th Dec 2009 / 7th Jan 2010

The project consisted in the realization of a propitious exhibition for the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (“Day of the birth of Invincible Sun”), the most important Observance in ancient times, that was celebrated in very different ways all around the planet, but everywhere on the 25th of December.
The collection of the art pieces wants to be very heterogeneous, creating so a right and proper homage to Sol Invictus and at the same time a commemoration of all the different celebrations for his “natalis”.

The Dies Natalis Solis Invicti festivity (“Day of the birth of the Unconquered Sun”) was celebrated in the moment of the year when the day time was starting to increase again after the Winter’s Solstice.
In the northern hemisphere of the world, between the 22nd and the 24th December, the Sun looks like stopping himself.
In the astronomical sense, in this period the Sun inverts his movement to the direction of the declension, that means that he reaches the maximal distance from the equatorial line.
The darkness of the night reaches its maximum extension and the day light his minimum. We have so the longest night and the shorter day of the year.  Right after the Solstice the day light begins to increase again and the night darkness to reduce until reaching the Summer Solstice. So the Sun during the Winter Solstice reaches its weakest phase and looks like following into darkness, but then comes back strong and life full “invincible” of the darkness self.
And it’s on the 25th December that he looks like being born again.