Hands emerge out of the waters in Venice!!
Hands emerge out of the waters in Venice

Hands emerge out of the waters in Venice!!

When you think of Venice, you probably think of its gondolas, canals, and historic bridges—but visitors will now also be greeted by another, albeit temporary, reminder of the city’s intimate relationship with water: a giant pair of hands reaching out of the Grand Canal and appearing to support the walls of the historic Ca’ Sagredo Hotel . The installation, by Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn, was unveiled on May 13, just in time for the 57th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.

Hands emerge out of the waters in Venice2

Aptly titled Support, the piece was created in conjunction with London’s Halcyon Gallery and the city of Venice and can be seen reaching up at the Ca’ Sagredo, until November 26. It is meant to be at once a warning of the existential threat faced by cities like Venice due to rising sea levels as well as a call to action—a reminder that we, like the pair of giant white hands, can play a role in slowing global warming. Support reflects “on the two sides of human nature, the creative and the destructive, as well as the capacity for humans to act and make an impact on history and the environment,” says a release from the Halcyon Gallery.

Quinn made the sculpture in his studio in Spain using an ancient method known as “lost-wax casting,” a millennia-old process that involves casting a mold created with a wax model of the sculpture— a nod, the release says, to “the Masters of the past.” While the installation is meant to elicit both desperation and hope, Quinn also revealed it carries a more personal meaning to him. In a recent interview he says, “I have three children, and I’m thinking about their generation and what world we’re going to pass on to them. I’m worried, I’m very worried.” In fact, the hands are modeled after one of his children’s and in an Instagram post, Quinn said that Support “wants to speak to the people in a clear, simple and direct way through the innocent hands of a child and it evokes a powerful message, which is that united we can make a stand to curb the climate change that affects us all.