Fulvio Merolli, RUFA lecturer in Sculpture Techniques in the Visual Arts Department, is taking part in the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale as an artist representing the National Pavilion of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, within the exhibition project The Forest | The Undergrowth, hosted at Palazzo Donà dalle Rose.
A sculptor, curator and educator, Merolli has developed over the years an artistic practice that combines technical rigour with contemporary sensitivity, with a particular focus on marble carving and the relationship between the human figure, matter and transformation. Trained at the Academies of Fine Arts of Rome and Carrara, he has created monumental works both in Italy and abroad and is currently a Sculpture lecturer at RUFA.
For the Biennale, he presents Risalita (2026), a sculpture in white Carrara marble depicting a swimmer striving to emerge from a hostile and unstable environment. The work explores the relationship between the individual and the contemporary world, transforming the aquatic element into a metaphor for tensions, resistance and processes of change.
As highlighted in the critical text accompanying the project, the protagonist of the work undertakes both a physical and symbolic ascent, searching for support in an environment that becomes an image of a complex and sometimes oppressive system. Through the manipulation of marble, the surfaces are transformed into flows and ripples that evoke the movement of water, making the material appear alive and dynamic.
Merolli’s participation in the Biennale is part of a well-established artistic career that has led him to exhibit in numerous international exhibitions and to develop a practice recognised for its ability to combine sculptural tradition with contemporary visual languages. Among his most recent exhibitions are Futurismi Contemporanei in Venice, Labyrinthus at Castello di Donnafugata and Vox Clamantis. Il Battista oggi at the Cathedral Museum of Ragusa.
Fulvio Merolli’s presence at the Venice Biennale further highlights the active role played by RUFA lecturers within the most significant contexts of contemporary artistic research, contributing to international dialogue through projects that combine experimentation, artistic quality and critical reflection.
To learn more about Fulvio Merolli’s artistic research, visit the artist’s official website.
