Helidon Xhixha “Diffuse Collection of Aeroporti di Roma”
Site-specific installation by contemporary artist Helidon Xhixha, Aeroporto di Fiumicino, Roma.
Aeroporti di Roma presents a monumental work by Helidon Xhixha. The sculpture of the Albanian artist arrives in Fiumicino becoming part of the Widespread Collection of Aeroporti di Roma. Outside the Departures area of Terminal 1 of Rome Fiumicino airport, the sculpture by the artist Helidon Xhixha, Jet of Light, a tribute to the capital, was presented. Thanks to Aeroporti di Roma, the Spirali di Idee Gallery and Luca Dal Fabbro, the work enriches the Widespread Collection of Contemporary Art of the Fiumicino International Airport Hub. Xhixha‘s sculpture follows the exhibition of the work of Daniele Sigalot, as well as that of Giotto.
With its imposing dimensions, the Albanian artist‘s work is composed of marine steel, with a base in cor–ten, a special high–strength steel alloy, representing energy and movement. With its triangular shape, the sculpture symbolizes the journey and connection between different cultures, and was inaugurated in the presence of Federico Mollicone, President of the Culture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Marco Troncone, CEO of AdR in Rome, and the artist himself.
“We have always supported the cultural vision of a widespread museum that Aeroporti di Roma is carrying out and Xhixha‘s work represents a new important step,” said Mollicone. The numerous awards that the capital‘s airports are receiving testify to their safety and efficiency – he added – but these large hubs will also be the cultural and spiritual gateways for the millions of pilgrims who will arrive in Rome. Aeroporti di Roma‘s commitment to the enhancement of contemporary art, a fundamental branch of national culture, is therefore good. The goal is to make operations like this structural for all the nation‘s infrastructures.”
“It is a pleasure to present Getto di Luce, the sculpture I created for the city of Rome. This work, in stainless steel, was born from the encounter between metal and light, a symbol of modernity and tradition of Rome, a city that combines history and innovation,” said Helidon Xhixha. “The light, which plays on the reflective surface of the steel, represents an invitation to hope and a point of connection between past and future, just as the airport is a crossroads of cultures and dreams – he added – The sculpture, with its dynamic and upward–directed shape, becomes a beacon that guides travelers, symbolizing the energy of those who arrive, those who leave and those who dream of new horizons. In this space of passage, Getto di Luce wants to be a sign of reflection on our continuous movement towards the future and on the importance of the encounter between different cultures“.
“The initiative is part of a path started some time ago by AdR – commented Marco Troncone – which aims to promote and enhance art and culture in its various forms, thus transforming the airport into a stage of its journey and into an exhibition space that celebrates both the beauties that Italy and the city of Rome have to offer to visitors, and the works of artists with an international scope. Rome Fiumicino today has an increasingly cosmopolitan vocation, it is one of the two hubs in the EU, and one of the twelve in the world, with a Skytrax rating of 5 stars for excellent standards in the quality of service, but which maintains a strong link with its cultural roots and the territory in which it operates”.
