New Work Installed In Prato

On 19 December 2020, a sculpture by Antony Gormley was installed in Piazza Duomo in Prato, Italy. The work, entitled Shy, 2017, will be on view to the public for six months and is part of a partnership between the artist, Centro Pecci per l’Arte Contemporanea, Prato, Comune di Prato, and Associazione Culturale Arte Continua.

Using a simple architectonic structure, the sculpture evokes shyness in its own exposure. Made of 3600 kg of cast iron, Shy brings the materials and methods of the industrial revolution to an ancient Piazza. The artist uses scale to activate space and invite those who share the common ground with it to become aware of their own moving position in space and time.

Antony Gormley stated: ‘I want to make something that is confident in its presence as a landmark but that on examination connects with our inner selves and engages with those more tentative and quiet human emotions such as tenderness and vulnerability.’

Photograph: Piazza Duomo, Prato, Italy. Installation view. Photograph by Ela Bialkowska, OKNO STUDIO.