“World Chief Faux” is an exhibition of latest portray, sculpture and set up by Venezuelan-American artist Alex Da Corte.

WORLD LEADER PRETEND

Within the early morning hours of Could fifth, 1821, Louis-Joseph-Narcisse Marchand, the longtime companion and valet of Napoleon, sat beside his feeble cost, holding his hand. With a purpose to preserve his companion’s thoughts occupied, he requested him some questions. Listed below are Napoleon’s solutions, as transcribed by Marchand in 1821, printed in 1952 in French by Jean Bourguignon and later translated by Proctor Jones and Jean Tulard.

Emperor, Sir, are you able to image a desert for me?

I bear in mind a desert, so many deserts. Nice expanses of desert, unending and dry. Brittle and cracked, like my fingers, like my physique. Oh however why? Is that this physique even my very own? I look out throughout my physique, and all I see is desert.

No no, Emperor, your physique isn’t a desert. Please, play this sport with me. Let your thoughts be simple for a time. Now, on this desert, there’s a cubic construction, as Plato speaks of. Are you able to describe this construction for me?

Pricey Marchand, a dice? Of rock? I think about mine isn’t of the desert, not born of this Earth. I see a dice, and it’s reflective, like glass, many rocks floor to a liquid mud, extra lustrous than glass, extra lustrous even than black. It consists of two going through panes, sufficient to create a labyrinth . . . I see it clearly, there within the desert, alone. I see every little thing . . . however you possibly can’t see me.

It sounds lovely, Sir, sturdy like onyx. Now, please, image a ladder, right here with you within the desert, in your onyx fortress. Are you able to describe it for me?

A ladder? I don’t see a ladder.

May or not it’s that the ladder is inside with you?

No, no, no. I . . . I . . . see particles, white particles, like snow. Or moderately wooden, like birch, or, err, I’m not so certain, Marchand. There’s a pile of birch I see, there within the distance, however I can’t be certain, a pile of white particles . . . I can’t be certain.

Relaxation your thoughts, pricey Emperor. Allow us to stick with it, allow us to consider extra important issues. Think about your pricey Marengo. Image him within the desert with you. Describe him for me.

Ah sure! Courageous Marengo! My beloved Marengo. The place is he? I see him. I see him resting, or no, no, it’s not relaxation. I hear a winnowing, is it the wind? Is it the wind? Is it Marengo, is it he? He’s damage, come, somebody come assist, he’s damage, he has been injured. His throat, it has been severed!? How might this be? Who has achieved this? And I see there’s blood, there’s blood on my fingers? Was it I, was it I?

Emperor! Emperor! Calm, calm your thoughts pricey Sir. That is only a easy sport, that is only a little one’s sport. Marengo is ok, he’s not damage, he’s effectively, within the stables resting . . . what’s it that haunts you? We should consider brighter issues. Allow us to consider Spring, she is almost upon us. Think about the flowers.

Ah, ah, okay . . . okay . . . it has fallen darkish in my thoughts pricey Marchand. Should we play this little one’s sport any longer?

It’s good so that you can think about Spring, think about flowers, think about life. Will probably be good . . .

If I need to . . . I see peonies, I see peonies and they’re blooming, they’re shiny, they’re hopeful and but it’s evening. Was it Josephine who brings them to me? Was it she? The place is she, my Beloved? And there’s candlelight? Or is it starlight? I see flowers. I see peonies. I see her.

She is with you Emperor. She is with you, in your coronary heart, you carry her . . . and now there’s a storm coming. What’s going to you do, pricey Sir, what’s going to you do within the face of the storm?

Napoleon closed his eyes . . .

at Gió Marconi, Milan
till June 1, 2024