In Sarah Ciracì’s latest solo show, three paintings, immersed in darkness and invisible by daylight, emerge in the luminous glow of a black light. The phosphorescent images are recognizable icons, symbols unequivocally tied to the drama of human history, like the mushroom cloud, and philosophical concepts, such as the yin and the yang. The show acts as an admonition, warning of our inability to control technology, a message clearly announced through the works’ titles. Detonation of XX-10 Priscilla, a 37-kiloton atomic bomb, on 24 June 1957. Nevada, USA, 2006, describes the devastating power of a nuclear device, while Ricordati che sei atomo e atomo potresti tornare (Remember that you are atoms and to atoms you might return), 2006, created with an incision on a backlit mirror, disconcertingly evokes the possibility of catastrophe. Playing on the boundary between light and dark, between calamities past and future, Ciracì taps into the continuity of violence across cultures and histories.
