Fragmented Bodies in Rome

Abstract

In her 1994 lecture The Body in Pieces, American art historian Linda Nochlin puts in relation the representations of incomplete human figures with the idea of modernity, by looking at art works from Neo-classicism and Romanticism to Impressionism, Surrealism, and beyond. Taking into account’s Nochlin’s intuition, this paper examines the representation of fragmented bodies in the works of three figurative contemporary artists: Celia Hempton, Wardell Milan, and Paul Mpagi Sepuya, which were included in the exhibition Fragmented Bodies, held from 5 April to 8 June 2024 at Galleria Lorcan O’Neill, Rome. The paper also acknowledges the particular relationship of the city of Rome with fragments of bodies, from the many mutilated ancient Roman statues to the Christian cult of relics, considering the psychological interconnections between the past, history, and memory.