The fence around the Italian Embassy in Yerevan, Armenia, is now displaying an installation by Carlo De Meo, who has chosen to exhibit his work not inside the offices of the diplomatic mission but outside, so as to enable any passer-by to appreciate it. To celebrate the 18th Week of the Italian Language in the World, the versatile artist designed his work entitled “CANCELLATA A JEREVAN – o dell’errare nelle parole” (“FENCE IN YEREVAN – or the erring of words”), a large installation (4.5 m high and 22 m long), portraying a man climbing over the fence. And, seeing that De Meo also works with words and their meaning, his work develops on three levels: on the fence (the hard border between inside and outside), on the pavement (to where the man’s fingers stretch out) and, on a writing on the windows saying: “UNA ERRE CANCELLATA A JEREVAN” (“A CROSSED ‘R’ IN YEREVAN”). Indeed, the human figure is accompanied by a word written on the wall behind the fence: a word that, by simply removing one letter (R), transforms from ARMIAMOCI (TAKE UP ARMS) to AMIAMOCI (LOVE EACH OTHER). De Meo explains: “In order to create my works, I go to the city in which I am to display, only equipped with my tools. I tour the city. I take notes. I have no preconceived idea. I look for abandoned waste material with which I build my work. All of this goes on as long as I remain on site.”
The Italian Embassy immediately authorised the artist to display outside its premises, in direct contact with the city and its citizens. As a matter of fact, the Embassy is located in an extremely central district that also hosts other embassies. In this way, De Meo’s work was seen and appreciated by other ambassadors who pass by the Italian Embassy every day, alongside the city’s inhabitants.
