Ancile

In Ancile, Adamo Macri intertwines a potent Roman myth with modern portraiture, crafting an image that combines ceremonial and intimate elements. The legend of the twelve sacred shields of Mars serves as a backdrop; one descends from heaven, while eleven are crafted as duplicates to protect the original, which secures Rome's imperial destiny. Macri adapts this concept, viewing the ancile not as a mere relic but as a psychological device representing a protective and revealing surface. The work reflects on identity, suggesting every persona is an ancile, masking vulnerabilities behind crafted appearances. Just as Rome's Salii showcased indistinguishable shields, individuals navigate the world through multiple identities. Macri challenges viewers to recognize that they confront only one facade among many, obscuring the true self beneath.

Kenneth Radu's essay highlights that Macri's portrayal of the ancile transcends mere historical illustration; it's an exploration of identity, contamination, and transformation. The portrait intertwines the mythic with the psychological, presenting the shield as a barrier where divinity, politics, and selfhood converge. This ancient anxiety now translates into contemporary feelings about the erosion of the self amid proliferating identities and images. Macri’s work engages with sculptural presence and stillness, emphasizing the subject's role in an unfolding narrative where the weight of legend influences the composition.

Visually, Ancile reflects Macri's focus on surface and similarity, revealing the tension in authenticity. It invites viewers to contemplate minute differences and question appearances. Ultimately, Ancile unites personal and imperial narratives by suggesting that while the Roman ancile ensured state endurance, Macri's interpretation guards a more fluid self. The portrait interrogates the possibility of mythic or psychological shields providing true protection against change, revealing the complexities of visibility and the comfort of disguise in identity formation. This nuanced approach complicates the act of viewing, turning the search for authenticity into a deeper inquiry into substitution, faith, and identity.

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"I don’t believe that Macri depicts a Roman warrior in this superbly executed portrait, unless it’s one who has bathed after a bloody struggle, and then put on a mask to attend a costume party in the Emperor’s palace. Nonetheless, he deliberately draws our attention to the idea of shield as relevant to deception and the illusion of external appearances, or the protection of hidden identities."

31 x 31 cm


Ancile, 2017
69 x 71 cm
31 x 31 cm Edition: 4
Photography: Chromogenic C-print