–59 penumatics con wheel rims, multilayer pipes (various thickness), resin, poliespanso–
140 x 1200 x 1000 cm circa.
The Foundation in charge of the properties and assets of the Prince Elettore di Assia, which includes the Eichenzell Castel in Fulda, better known as ‘Della Fasanerie’, organised a garden festival from the 13th until the 16th of May called “Das Fürstliche Gartenfest” at the Schloss Fasanerie. Upon selection conducted through the Colon Italian Institute of Culture, Ambrosino is tasked to realise the installation In that time, too many lions will have the heart of the donkey
in the area of the garden which has a Vesica shape.
The project was conceived following an attentive reflection about his being Italian (but at the same time about what could be accepted as own for a citizen from Fulda) and it was suggested by the originary meaning of Vesica, Jesus Christ’s symbol. Like the artist explains “ researching the relationship with the Christianity, first on San Bonifacio and the local history, amongst other things I was mesmerized by the words pronounced by the Blessed Pope John Paul the second, in a speech which took place in Fulda in November 1980. At a group of Catholics that asked him the reason why in 1960 the 3rd secret of Fatima had not been published yet he responded “it could be sufficient for Christians to know the following: if there is a message in which it is written that the oceans will flood entire parts of the Earth, and that all of a sudden millions of people will die, it is not really worth hoping for the spreading of such a secret message”, and showing the rosary crown he concluded “ this is the remedy against this harm. Prey, prey, and give everything else to the Mother of God”.
Following these reflections, the rosary becomes his key element, also because it is connected to his origins (people from Naples have a strong connection with the cult of the Virgin Mary). The artist characterizes the rosary with a cross generated by the golden mane of a lion’s head which is present at the crossing of the arms, recalling a prophecy of the mystic Teresa Neumann, which anticipated for those days “at that time, too many lions will have a donkey’s heart”, which is a sentence which has become the title of the work.
“I chose to work with wheel tires because in Fulda there is an economic centre around the Fulda Tires, a company there producing fine tires, in particular winter ones” and then Ambrosino goes on – “and I believe it is fundamental for a site-specific installation that it is able not only to integrate with the space, and perhaps also creating a sort of impactful short-circuit – but also to relate with the spectator who , while interacting with the installation, gets to the point of completing it, recognizing in it and making it his own, loving it. My work not only talks about myself but it represent Fulda (a strongly catholic city in a protestant region) and its citizens, and in a way one could recognise a sort of criticism to the Italian politics and to the Italians more broadly… but maybe I only prefer the meaning which was given to it by the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Cologne Lucio Izzo, who saw in my work “the Neapolitan” being strongly connected to the cult of the Virgin Mary and with the donkey in the heart (a fierce animal – which has the name of “ciuccio” in the Neapolitan dialect, and that is the official mascot of the Napoli football team”.
