State Of The Art: Gianfranco Meggiato What do you hope visitors glean from your new show?

My exhibition at the Valley of Temples was inspired by one of the best-known experiments in quantum physics: the double slit, where subatomic particles are fired through two slits, changing them from beam to wave depending on whether or not an observer is watching. I then set this experiment in relation to the famous phrase engraved on the pediment of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi:“know Thyself”. I see a direct relationship between this motto on the Greek Temple and modern experiments in quantum physics: who is, or rather, what truly is Man if he is able to modify, by observation alone, the behaviour and status of subatomic particles? This question is succinctly posed by the sculpture “Quantum Man”, giving the exhibition its title by nodding to the theories of quantum physics.

At a first glance, combining classical Greek architecture and contemporary sculpture may seem a little strange, but it’s precisely this perceived discrepancy which best induces closer thought. In my opinion, contemporary art must always play an active role and be a tool stimulating the growth of awareness as regards the great scientific, cultural and social changes taking place.

■

Gianfranco Meggiato’s “Quantum Man: There is No Future Without Memory” is at the Valley dei Templi Agrigento, Sicily, until January 4, 2022