Namsal Siedlecki, born in 1986 in Greenfield (USA), lives and works in Seggiano, Italy. He is a contemporary artist who has exhibited in major Italian and international institutions, including MAXXI in Rome, GAMeC in Bergamo, Palazzo Reale in Milan, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, and Villa Medici.
He has participated in biennials and exhibitions across Europe and Russia, with his work also shown at the Musée Bargoin (France), Galeria Boavista (Lisbon), and Centro Pecci (Prato). He has received significant accolades such as the Cy Twombly Fellowship (2015), the Club GAMeC Prize, and the Cairo Prize (2019). In 2022, he was a finalist for the Maxxi Bulgari Prize.
Scultura in paglia e bronzo
Oratorio di Monte Calvario e Darsena
Inspired by the Hindu festival Durgā Pūjā, the work begins with a straw idol purchased by Siedlecki in Kolkata, later used as the base for a new bronze sculpture. Placed in the nave of the church—on Bisentina Island—this figure stands on a terracotta pedestal. The transformation freezes the object in the moment of its creation, becoming a symbol of suspension between the sacred and the profane. The sculpture reflects on the meaning of form and presence.
Trevis Maponos (busto in argento)
Darsena
Namsal Siedlecki draws a connection between the rituals of Gallic wooden ex-votos found at the spring of Les Roches in Chamalières, France, and the modern custom of tossing coins into the Trevi Fountain in Rome. The artist 3D-scans the ex-votos, recreates them in wax, and coats them with silver recovered from decommissioned coins found in the fountain. The resulting works are votive shells that symbolize the fusion of ancient and contemporary rituals, highlighting the human need to connect with the sacred.
