Nel petto un Vesuvio d'avere mi par

William Hamilton served as British diplomat at the court of the Royal kingdom of Naples from 1764 - 1799. During this time he extensively explored and researched the Italian volcanoes. His life was turned into a novel, written by Susan Sontag and published under the title The Volcano Lover in 1982. She recounts Hamiltons dissolute life against the backdrop of the explosive, political atmosphere in Naples during this time, whereas the vulcano simultaneously fascinating and bubbling, functions as a symbol for the state of affairs.

In the silkscreens of Sebastian Utzni this symbol is transferred into the now: We find ourselves again in fascinating, but heated times, where the current situation of the world may take an unforeseen turn at any time and explode.

"I have a vulcano inside of me: Nel petto un Vesuvio d’avere mi par" sings Dorabella in Mozarts opera Così fan tutte. The vulcano motives are printed with the brown-red material of the striking surfaces of match boxes. Colour-wise they may even be seen as classical, but with the rather touristy motives they appear meditatively disturbing. One could use a match and destroy the idyll.

Exhibited at

Edition August 2018, Verein für Originalgraphik, Zürich, CH