High-definition floating profiles and hypnotic chromatisms are the essence of the "3D holographic technology" that, in the hands of artist Federico Solmi, has brought his first holographic sculpture, "The Alluring Empress Theodora," to life. This piece can be viewed until July 28 at the “SOLMI - Ship of Fools” exhibition in the seventeenth-century Palazzo Dona’ dalle Rose, overlooking the timeless panorama of the Venetian lagoon (Italy). This intangible and stereoscopic sculpture results from the meeting of Federico Solmi, an Italian artist who has been in the United States for 25 years, awarded by the Guggenheim Museum in New York and a visiting professor at Yale University, and Var Group, a leader in digital excellence with CEO Francesca Moriani.

Time flows simultaneously inside and outside Federico Solmi's immersive, multimedia creations, as he chooses the most contemporary of projections—holographic—to shape a truly immaterial sculpture. With his distinctive style, the historical image of Byzantine Empress Theodora is reinterpreted by the artist as a contemporary influencer. Theodora subverts the stereotypical idea of a ruler, with her controversial past as an actress before becoming the wife of Justinian I, and is an important political advisor and champion of women's rights.

The holographic sculpture was created by digitally transferring Solmi's expressive painting languages through 3D graphic processing and motion capture programs. It is generated by an advanced holographic projection system that allows for great freedom of movement and high-definition imaging under any light condition, enhancing the realistic effects of three-dimensionality in space.

"The Alluring Empress Theodora" emerges from Solmi's artistic and creative use of the so-called "high-level human holographic 3D technology," a technological system that unlocks the perspective viewing plane by composing perfect 3D holographic images.

In this work, born from the dialogue between art and digital, Theodora captivates the audience as a deceptive mirage, caustic towards the banality of contemporary life and the world we live in. She is an impertinent character who urges the viewer not to accept reality as it is but to narrate their time with a different vocabulary. The ethereal, almost phantasmagoric figure of Theodora emerges from the darkness, echoing her large polychrome ceramic bust displayed just ahead.

The three-dimensional, stereoscopic images of "The Alluring Empress Theodora" result from the synergy between media art pioneer Federico Solmi and Var Digital Art, the non-profit project of Var Group aimed at exploring the intersections between contemporary art languages and digital technologies. VDA by Var Group, under the artistic direction of Davide Sarchioni, supported Federico Solmi by providing the means and expertise of Var Group to realize this unprecedented project of the internationally renowned artist. Solmi has been able to integrate these technological resources into his visual alphabet, in a continuous and stimulating dialogue between the great innovations of our time and international pictorial tradition that coexist surprisingly in "The Alluring Empress Theodora."

"Innovation breaks the mold, the usual order of things, providing previously unexplored visions of the world, enhancing its understanding and enjoyment," explains Alessandro Tiezzi, Founder of VDA by Var Group. "This is where Var Group and Federico Solmi meet: in the challenge of innovation and the experimentation of new languages. From this comes a new creative language: from the meeting of digital ingenuity and human creativity that uses technologies to enable new expressive forms."

"In Federico Solmi's work and language, we have identified a peculiar attitude of the artist to freely transport his inspiration and creativity from one dimension to another, between analog and digital," continues Davide Sarchioni. "With Solmi, we have pushed to ensure that the latest technologies could come into contact with his artistic world, bringing new suggestions and inspirations to his creative urgency."

The "Solmi – Ship of Fools" exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by Gangemi Editore in English, featuring a complete historiography of his works. The project is guided by the curatorial insights of art historians Dorothy Kosinski, Director Emeritus of the Phillips Collection, and Renato Miracco. In addition to writings by Kosinski and Miracco, the catalog contributions from Larry Ossei-Mensah, Serena Tabacchi, and Davide Sarchioni explore the relationship and impact of technology on contemporary art. The exhibition is realized in partnership with Var Digital Art by Var Group, actively promoting the relationship between art and business through digital technologies. The Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation generously contributed to the construction of this project, while museum support comes from the Phillips Collection, a forefront of contemporary art in the United States, where Federico Solmi has several works in the collection. The exhibition's communication strategy is managed by HF4 of Marco del Bene