Wolves Coming in Florence

These are certainly difficult times to travel and fully enjoy the beauty of a city like Florence. Especially because much of what it has to offer is enclosed within those very precious jewelry boxes that are its museums and churches.
If you prefer to avoid as much as possible to enter enclosed places with many people, do not be discouraged, because the city boasts buildings and historical monuments, parks and works of art exhibited in the beautiful Florentine squares that can be admired safely in the open air, making it easier to respect the rules of social distancing.
It is no coincidence that the monumental installation by Liu Ruowang, which has been placed in Piazza Santissima Annunziata and Piazza Pitti since July, has been a great success among passers-by.
In fact, the project - conceived on the occasion of the celebrations of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Italian Republic and the People's Republic of China and organized by Matteo Lorenzelli, owner of the Milanese gallery Lorenzelli Arte - managed to reach a wider audience than those who usually attend exhibitions and museums, stimulating their curiosity and participation.

The en plein air exhibition is titled Wolves Coming, by Liu Ruowang, one of the most important Chinese contemporary artists.

In Piazza Pitti a pack of wolves seems to have taken possession of the space and is about to break into the building, while in Piazza Santissima Annunziata the pack is encircling a man who faces them with his sword drawn.

The hundred wolves, iron castings weighing 280 kg each, appear aggressive, inspire fear and at first glance they would seem the antagonist in the scene. But are they really? Or are they just defending themselves from a far more dangerous enemy that has been threatening them for a long time?

Liu Ruowang wants to remind us that - although not equipped with sharp fangs - men remain the strongest predators in the world, and he invites us to reflect on the devastation perpetrated by humanity at the environment’s expenses and its consequences, made even more evident by the effects of covid-19.

The installation placed in front of two historic buildings emblem of the Renaissance such as Palazzo Pitti and the Spedale degli Innocenti immediately arouses the interest of passers-by, surprised to suddenly find themselves in the midst of a pack of wolves. The effect is even more disturbing after sunset, when the pack appears truly threatening.

However, surprise soon gives way to curiosity and people grow fascinated by the heterogeneous attitudes of the wolves, each one represented with a different expression and pose.

One immediately becomes attached to these big creatures, with huge paws and curled noses, so passers-by often climb on them and ride them like children at a playground.

After familiarizing with the wolves, the man who threatens them with a sword no longer seems defenseless against a multitude, he rather appears as a ruthless hunter that could do them harm with his sharp blade.

The artist claims that "to teach new generations love and respect for art, the best method is to bring art into everyday life, making museums increasingly accessible and not only that. My sculptures, for example, are placed in the squares: so art creates a link with public spaces as well. It is important to build a culture of the common good”.
Certainly, the installation by Liu Ruowang stands out, it intrigues us, makes us reflect - on the values of civilization, on the increasingly fragile balance that exists between man and nature – and at the same time enriches our squares, giving us one more reason to take a walk around the city and look around.