Roberto Ciroli

The Cage, 2015

Artwork Brief Description

Ciroli’s *La Gabbia* is a striking composition of white human figures climbing within a sparse tree-like structure, all encased within a cage. The piece embodies the tension between aspiration and confinement—whether the cage protects or limits them is left ambiguous. The sculpture merges seamlessly with its surroundings, prompting reflections on human ambition, freedom, and solitude.

The Cage, 2015

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Roberto Ciroli (Italian b.1969) La Gabbia, The Cage, 2015

Roberto Ciroli was born in Brescia in 1969.

In 1994 he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.

In 1993 he began exhibiting in various group exhibitions in Brescia, Milan, Novara and Mantua. In the same year, he won the ‘Moretto Città di Brescia’ award in the sculpture section.

He was selected among the 12 artists chosen to illustrate the ‘Chiquita 2000’ calendar.

In 2001 he won first prize in the ‘Premio Arte Mondadori’ competition with the sculpture ‘briscola col morto’.

In 2002 and 2003 he was present at contemporary art fairs in Milan, Turin and Bologna.

In 2012 he was selected as one of the finalists for the ‘Premio Basi’.

Roberto Ciroli (Italian b.1969) La Gabbia, The Cage, 2015

La Gabbia is emblematic of Ciroli’s celebrated oeuvre, utilising his distinctive figures to delve into the complexities of the human condition. In this sculpture the white male figures are depicted ascending the branches of a sparse, feather-like tree, seemingly striving to reach new heights.

Ideas of suspension, lightness, and flight are conjured up by the whirling mass of white bodies. However, as the title, La Gabbia (The Cage), implies, and perhaps unbeknownst to the figures themselves, there is a limit to their exploration, for they are, of course, encased in a cage.

The Cage may be interpreted as a structure that restricts their movements, and in turn limiting their aspirations and ambitions. Conversely, it could be seen to offer a form of protection from the external world. Although the figures may appear trapped, they are simultaneously supported by the structure which surrounds them.

From the very beginning of his artistic practice, and upon graduation from Brera Art Academy in Milan in 1994, Ciroli has been deeply engaged with the exploration of the human form. A central theme in his work is how the human figure acquires its own autonomy, simply mimicking the real world around it. Solitude and darkness are central to Ciroli’s practice, as is the juxtaposition of freedom and confinement.

The Cage is found on one of the garden’s upper terraces, and from a distance the edges of the cage are barely visible, instead the sculpture appears to form part of the flowerbed. In this manner, despite the deep philosophical ideas that are imbued within the piece, it merges with the surrounding landscape in an organic way.