Sisters (Amaterasu Goddess of Sun and Holy Mary of Civitavecchia)Various elements:
2013 - 2015 (1613 - 1615)
Flag
Amaterasu Goddess of Sun
digital photography on fabric, 180 x 130 cm
2013Installation
Holy Mary of Civitavecchia, (replica of the Civitavecchia Madonnina from the shrine of Medjugorje), marble powder and epoxy resin, wood and packaging materials, transport documents, 80 x 40 x 30 cm
2013 Frottage
2 elements
pencil on paper
100 x 70 cm each
2015
With the support of Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Wonder Site (Japan) and financed with a grant provided by Project DE. / MO. MOVIN’UP
EN
In 1995, a small statue of the Virgin Mary, placed in the garden of the Gregori family in Civitavecchia and originating from the Christian sanctuary of Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina), was reportedly seen weeping blood fourteen times, attracting attention from both the media and believers, as well as members of the clergy. Since then, the statuette, kept at the local parish of Sant’Agostino, has been on display for veneration by the faithful.
In 1995, a small statue of the Virgin Mary, placed in the garden of the Gregori family in Civitavecchia and originating from the Christian sanctuary of Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina), was reportedly seen weeping blood fourteen times, attracting attention from both the media and believers, as well as members of the clergy. Since then, the statuette, kept at the local parish of Sant’Agostino, has been on display for veneration by the faithful.
Holy Mary of Civitavecchia is a copy of the original statue, purchased through the official souvenir shop of Medjugorje.
The work forms a diptych with Amaterasu Goddess of Sun, a photograph printed on a flag depicting a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Ishinomaki (Japan), a coastal city located about 100 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The statue was severely damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami; the photograph, taken from a low angle, highlights the damaged portion of the sculpture.
The city of Civitavecchia, site of the miracle, is officially twinned with Ishinomaki. This partnership has historical roots in 1613, when the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga departed from Ishinomaki and, in 1615, landed in Civitavecchia before continuing to Rome to meet the Pope.
The work was created 400 years after that journey, for a solo exhibition in Japan at the COEXIST-TOKYO Gallery. The crate containing Holy Mary of Civitavecchia was transported from Italy to Japan by air, flying over the Asian continent and symbolically retracing the missing segment of the samurai’s route, who had reached Europe by crossing the oceans.
In 2015, an additional element was added to the series: a pair of frottage on paper reproduces the reliefs from the descriptive plaque of the samurai Tsunenaga’s statue, recounting the journey he undertook in the seventeenth century.
IT
Nel 1995, una piccola statua della Vergine Maria, collocata nel giardino della famiglia Gregori a Civitavecchia e proveniente dal santuario cristiano di Medjugorje (Bosnia ed Erzegovina), fu vista lacrimare sangue per quattordici volte, suscitando stupore sia tra i media sia tra credenti e membri del clero. Da allora, la statuetta, custodita nella parrocchia locale di Sant’Agostino, è esposta alla venerazione dei fedeli.
Holy Mary of Civitavecchia è una copia della statua originale, acquistata tramite il negozio di souvenir ufficiale di Medjugorje.
L’opera costituisce un dittico con Amaterasu Goddess of Sun, una fotografia stampata su bandiera che raffigura una replica della Statua della Libertà di Ishinomaki (Giappone), una città costiera situata a circa 100 km dalla centrale nucleare di Fukushima Dai-ichi. La statua fu gravemente danneggiata dal terremoto e dallo tsunami del 2011; la fotografia, ripresa dal basso, mostra la parte compromessa dell’opera.
La città di Civitavecchia, luogo del miracolo, è legata a Ishinomaki da un gemellaggio ufficiale. Questa partnership ha radici storiche nel 1613, anno in cui il samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga partì da Ishinomaki e, nel 1615, sbarcò a Civitavecchia prima di proseguire per Roma, dove era diretto a incontrare il Papa.
L’opera è stata realizzata 400 anni dopo quel viaggio, in occasione di una mostra personale in Giappone presso la Galleria COEXIST-TOKYO. La spedizione della cassa contenente Holy Mary of Civitavecchia dall’Italia al Giappone avvenne via aerea, sorvolando il continente asiatico e tracciando simbolicamente la parte mancante del percorso del samurai, che raggiunse l’Europa attraverso gli oceani.
Nel 2015, un ulteriore elemento è stato aggiunto alla serie: una coppia di frottage su carta riprende i rilievi della placca descrittiva della statua del samurai Tsunenaga, raccontando il viaggio compiuto nel XVII secolo.
The route of Hasekura Tsunenaga, Ishinomaki - Civitavecchia, 1613-1615.
Statue of Liberty of Ishinomaki damaged by the tsunami on March 11, 2011, Japan.
“The Miracle of Civitavecchia”, 1995.
An article from the national press concerning the “Miracle of Civitavecchia,” published in Il Messaggero, April 13, 1995, p. 8.
Statue of the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga, Civitavecchia, 2015.
Frottages of the plaques from the statue of Hasekura Tsunenaga in Civitavecchia,
pencil on paper, 100 × 70 cm each, 2015.
Ryts Monet, Holy Mary of Civitavecchia, 2013.
Ryts Monet, Ameterasu Goddess of Sun (flag), digital photography on fabric, 180 x 130 cm, 2013.
Ryts Monet, Amaterasu Goddess of Sun (flag),
installation view at Museums Quartier Wien Q21, Vienna, Austria, 2019.
Photograph by Pablo Chiereghin